Heart Strings
by kur-chan
Summary: Miyuki Takishima's life revolved around tennis, that is, until one faithful event caused her everything. Now, she can't play. The thing that she loves the most brings her pain and despair. RYOXOC
1. Takishima Miyuki

**Heart Strings**

**Chapter One: Takishima Miyuki**

_I kept on staring, just watching. There was nothing else I could do. With every passing minute, every passing second, I feel a pang in my heart. I recall the feeling, the thrill that I had felt before. But now…it's all gone…. What I had once loved has turned into something that now brings me misery and despair. But … I can't runaway forever…no...I have to face it once and for all…_

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Today, unlike the other days, was an extremely hot and humid day; not a cloud in sight. There I was, standing right beside the tennis courts with the scourging sun hovering right above me. Beads of sweat were forming on my forehead. I wiped them with a small white handkerchief that I always carried. I couldn't take it anymore; it was way just too hot. If I couldn't stand the heat, I wonder how they must be feeling right now. They've been running under the scourging sun for quite a while now. I bet they feel worse than me; they're probably really tired and annoyed by now.

_Hm… seems like it's just the regulars again….time to have some fun!_

"Ne, minna-san! Whoever finishes last gets to drink two whole pitchers of Inui-sempai's _'_Special Improved Deluxe Penal Tea'!"

Inui juice is somewhat like an "incentive" for the tennis club members. As soon as they, especially the regulars, hear the word 'Inui juice', they all start practicing like crazy! They run faster when they are running laps or play a lot better during practice matches just to avoid Inui-sempai's juice. It's pretty amusing really, how everyone gets all worked up over a small amount of beverage. Honestly, who wouldn't? It's the deadly Inui juice we're talking about here! I've never tasted that…. thing before but just by looking at it… it didn't seem very….edible.

As soon as the regulars heard what I had said, their faces turned pale. And from the expressions plastered on their faces, it's pretty obvious that none of them wanted to drink that…er….liquid….thing. All of the regulars started running as though their lives depended on it! Even the honourable captain of the tennis club himself, my cousin, Tezuka Kunimitsu, or Kuni-chan as I like to call him. Kuni-chan is my first cousin; my mom and his dad are siblings. And even though we're cousins, we act nothing like each other! I mean, I'm a happy and bubbly person and he's well…he's like a block of ice. But Kuni-chan isn't a complete iceman; he can be sweet in his little own way.

_Oh, here they come, let's see who gets to drink Inui sempai's '__Special Improved Deluxe Penal Tea'__._

I waited and watched intently with anticipation, but to my dismay they all came at the exact same time…I sighed. I guess no one will be drinking Inui-sempai's juice today…again… As strange as it may sound, I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping that I could see someone, anyone face the wrath of the deadly liquid. I pouted, pursing my lips. Oh well that's life, you can't really get everything that you want. Okay time to work again… I sighed as I started distributing the towels and water bottles to the now panting and sweating regulars.

I'm sure you're wondering about who I am and my reason for being here. My name's Takishima Miyuki, a freshman at Seigaku and I'm also the tennis club's current manager. And let me tell you this, it's not easy for a little and petite girl like me managing a big club like this. So why am I still here you ask? Why didn't I quit a long time ago? To put it simply, it's just fun being here. Despite the fact that I have to carry heavy equipment, clean the club room and do a lot of ridiculous things for Inui-sempai, it's still pretty fun and…entertaining at the same time.

"Saa, Miyuki-chan, you seem a bit disappointed." A calm and amused voice came from behind me. It was the sadistic tensai, Fuji Syuusuke. I approached him, handing him his towel and water bottle "I am disappointed, Fuji-sempai" I sighed once again "it's a shame no one got to drink Inui-sempai's juice…maybe I should've just spiked your water bottles instead…." I snickered at the thought of the regulars, thirsty from all the running, desperately in need of water, happily taking a sip out of their water bottle only to come face to face with Inui juice. Wait a minute, am I starting to sound just like Fuji-sempai?

Everyone, minus Kuni-chan and Fuji-sempai, just stared at me in horror. Kuni-chan had his stoic face and Fuji-sempai was just smiling, as usual. How does he do that anyway? Walk around, let alone play tennis, with his eyes closed; must be a tensai thing. Anyway like I said they stared at me in horror. They stared at me like I'm some kid of psycho maniac who was going to wipe out the whole human race.

"Miyuki-chan…." I turned around, nervously might I add, as I heard my name being called in an eerie and creepy manner. There in front of me were some of the Seigaku Tennis Regulars. They didn't seem too happy about what I had said regarding their water bottles and Inui-sempai's juice. They reminded me of zombies about to eat the flesh of their next victim. "Get her!!" I heard someone voice out. I think it was momo-sempai….it sounded like him…

_Uh-oh….RUN!! _"Eh ?! I was just kidding!!"I practically screamed as I started to run for my life, running away from my friends, the Seigaku Tennis Regulars.

* * *

"Mah, I'm tired…" I had finally finished cleaning the clubroom and returned all the materials used during practice. Usually, I wouldn't be this tired after doing my job as manager. But today, the regulars chased me around like a hungry pack of wolves hunting for their prey, me…and then Kuni-chan made us run laps for disturbing practice, seriously what's up with him and laps! Once, he made me run laps around the house for not "properly cleaning" my room. I sighed today just wasn't my day.

I felt a tight hug from behind me. "Ne ne, Mimi-chii, come with me to the sporting goods shop. I have to get my racket stringed. After that we can get something to eat, Momo and Ochibi are coming too." I turned around to see where or from who the hug came from. I saw my cat-like sempai, Eiji-nii, grinning. If you're wondering If I'm related to Eiji-nii, the answer would be no. I'm an only child and he's the youngest in his family after all. I just like calling him Eiji-nii due to the fact that he's like an older brother I never had.

I grinned "Okay! But you're treating me!"I giggled as I ran and dragged Eiji-nii to where Momo-sempai and Ryo-kun were. "Mimi-chi!" I could hear Eiji-nii whining about treating me, I giggled some more."I was just kidding Eiji-nii!" I reassured me "and besides Kuni-chan would scold me if I asked you to treat me" I sighed, remembering how strict and adult-like my cousin was. I can't even count how many times he reminded me of my parents! But he's much worse.

_Speaking of Kuni-chan, I better tell him that I might arrive home a bit later than the expected time. I wouldn't want to worry him and my aunt and uncle… _I sighed.

I looked around for my dear cousin. There he was, talking to Oishi-sempai inside the courts. "Kuni-chan!!" I screamed as I ran up to him, leaving my favourite cat-like nii-chan behind. He turned around as I hugged him from the side. He looked down, acknowledging my existence "Miyuki-chan…" he blinked. As usual, he said that in a very monotonous tone.

"Kuni-chan, I'll be going somewhere with Eiji-nii, Momo-sempai and Ryo-chan, so I'll be home a bit later than usual okay? Okay! See you later! Tell aunty and uncle!"I ran back to where Eiji-nii was, I was looking forward to eating. It's been a long day and I was really hungry. As I was running, I heard a noise coming from under my feet, seems like I had stepped on something. I looked at the object that made contact with the sole of my shoe, it was a tennis racket. I bent down to pick it up. It was an old wooden racket, it's gut was really loose. It was the same racket Ryo-kun used in a match against Aria-sempai a couple of months back.

I swung the racket, once, twice, thrice. I smiled. When was the last time I stood on the court with a racket in my hand? How long has it been since I played? I couldn't remember at all. It's been such a long time. And even though I'm the tennis club's manager, I haven't touched a racket over the few months that I've been here. I smiled half heartedly, thinking of how much I missed it, the feeling, the thrill, the excitement….I missed it, I really did. I really missed playing the game, I really missed tennis………

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Hey there, Kur-chan here! So what did you think about the first chapter? too short, fast, boring, wordy etc. ? Did i reveal too much? Honestly i felt that there are some things miising, It was lacking "interest factors" and that some sentences and paragraphs weren't so well connected. Anyway, review ! Feel free to criticise (constructive please) and suggest some stuff. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND SUGGESTIONS ARE VERY MUCH WELCOMED! THANK YOU !

Translation

Minna-san = everyone

Tensai = genius

Sempai = upperclassmen


	2. Disaster

**Hey guys! kur-chan here. I am SO sorry for the late update ( especially for those who have been waiting...if you're still waiting...). Midterms are near(next week already . ) and I've been SO STRESSED with school. So much requirements and blah...And stress makes me uninspired to write....So yeah. I apologize if this chapter is boring and I'm just wasting your precious time :)) Yes as you can tell my brain isn't functioning well and I'm just blabbing right now....OKAY !! STOP !!**

**Well, i hope you guys enjoy? **

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**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Two: Disaster**

I yawned for the nth time today. It was six o'clock in the morning….what was I doing in school this early in the morning? ASK HIM! Okay, let me explain. Today, we had morning practice and Kuni-chan, being the "oh so responsible captain of the team", decides to come to school earlier than everyone else, dragging me along with him.

It's been over half a year since my parents placed me in the care of the Tezuka's and I'm still not used to Kuni-chan's habits. My parents had to work overseas and since the Tezuka's were my closest living relative, they decided that I should stay with them. Of course I had nothing against them! I love Kuni-chan and his family! But sometimes Kuni-chan can be a pain in the neck…..like right now! Every time there was morning practice, which is every school day, I always end up waking up early and can I just say…..I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON!

No one was in school, not even the teachers. Classes start at eight o'clock and practice start's at seven o'clock. I already brought out all the materials we needed for practice and Kuni-chan went up stairs to do who knows what…..I sighed….what was I supposed to do for the next hour?!

* * *

"Miyuki-chan……Miyuki-chan….." I could feel someone shaking me. I sat up, rubbing my eyes as I did. It seems like I had fallen asleep. Everything was so blurry, I couldn't see who it was that was shaking me. "Miyuki-chan…."That voice, I know that voice. That dull tone, it was none other than my best friend Echizen Ryoma or as I like to call him, Ryo-chan. He hates it when I call him that but whatever!

"Hmm? What is it Ryo-chan?" I swear I think I saw him twitch when he said that and yes, I could see things more clearly now. I giggled as I heard him sigh. "Buchou said if you don't wake up, you'll be running laps for one whole hour…." I sighed after hearing that, it really got my attention. My cousin seriously needs a better hobby other than making people run laps. "I'm up, I'm up" I said standing up, yawning as I did.

I started walking around the courts, not knowing what to do. Practice just started and there was nothing to do. Everything seemed like it was in order. Everyone was practicing, including the freshmen. Ever since the club had a new manager, they didn't have to pick up balls and clean up stuff. That was my job now.

So what now?

"Takishima" I turned around as soon as I heard my name. I saw Inui-senpai behind me; he was carrying his green notebook as usual. I wonder what he wants. I hope he doesn't want to make me "test" his new drink. He usually asks me to do it, but I'd usually decline his …uh…"favor". But Inui-senpai is a very persistent person. No matter how much I decline, he'd always pester me into drinking that poisonous concoction of his. Good thing Kuni-chan's always there to save the day, if not, I'd probably be dead ages ago. "uh…yes senpai?" I asked, the tone of nervousness apparent in my voice.

"Takishima, I have a favor to ask . Don't worry, it doesn't involve any Inui juice this time…well, it won't if you agree to it." he grinned like a Cheshire cat, boy did he look so creepy. I wonder how Inui-senpai would be if he was as sadistic as Fuji-senpai? All hell would break loose if that happened. I could imagine all those Inui-juice. I shuddered at the thought.

So basically, Inui-senpai's favor was more of a DEMAND. Yes, that was it. I sighed. There was no way I could refuse it. If I did, I would have to drink that horrible liquid he calls Inui juice. No thank you, I'll just do whatever it is Inui-sempai wants. It can't be that bad can it? "Alright senpai, I'll do you "favor"" I said as I did "aerial quotation marks"

As soon as I said that, he looked so happy. He smiled like a Cheshire cat once again. It was weird seeing sempai smile like that. It was just weird and creepy. "Good choice. Here's what you have to do…" he started whispering in my ear. I listened carefully. At first I couldn't understand a word he was saying. But little by little…I did. And I did not like it….

On gosh…what have I gotten myself into...

* * *

I was having my third class of the day English. And, thanks to Inui-senpai, I couldn't concentrate well in class. Why do I have to do that? Why me? Why can't he just do it? I bet he was just too lazy.

Oh I'm sorry…. I'm probably confusing you right now. I'll tell you what happened. So as you all know, Inui senpai black mailed me into doing his so called favor and what was his favor? Well, all I have to do is spy and get some data about our next opponent. Inui senpai said that he has no data about them whatsoever. And since I'm their manager, the person in charge of taking care of the team, it was my duty to get some data. Pretty simple right? WRONG. For one thing, I don't know how to collect data, nor do I know how to be inconspicuous. If I get caught, I am so dead. And another thing, the school of our next opponent, Kojimachi Gakuen, was an all boys school. I was going to stick out like a red thorn. Well the good thing about doing Inui-senpai's favor was that I get to skip afternoon practice. He said he'll take care of everything.

I sighed for the nth time today. I wonder how I was going to pull this off. Oh well. Let's just hope that things work out.

I looked to my left and saw Ryo-kun sleeping. Typical. He's very fluent in English, coming from America and all. So I guess our lessons are just a piece of cake for him. I remember the time when he wasn't listening in class and the teacher made him translate something on the board. He actually wrote a whole essay! You should have seen the look on the teacher's face. It was hilarious! I giggled at the thought.

"Takishima, what are you giggling about? Why don't you come to the board and translate this page " the teacher seemed upset, pissed even. It seems like he was having a bad day…..

I went to the board and started translating. After writing what I thought was correct, I heard giggles and laughter erupting from the back. Was my English THAT bad? I mean, truth be told, English was not my best subject but still. I somehow managed passing last semester.

The teacher sighed. I guess he wasn't pleased with my answers. He corrected my mistakes and continued on with the lesson. It's strange… when you're enjoying something, if you want thing to last long, time moves so quickly. But if you want something to end, that's when time moves so slow. Time is never on your side is it…

The bell finally rang, meaning it's time to go to the next class. As I was about to leave the classroom, the teacher called my attention. "Takishima, can I talk to you? Right now."

I hope he wasn't mad at me for not paying attention in class. "What is it sir?" I asked him politely. He sighed. And started lecturing me about how I should listen to class more, blah blah blah, my grades are slipping blah blah blah he's assigning a tutor for me blah blah blah….WAIT what? tutor?! Did I hear him right?! A tutor ?!

"Excuse me sir, what was that you said?" I asked a bit shocked. I hated tutors, I'm just not good with them. They want you to do this, do that and blah. When I'm studying, I like to do things my way, in my very comfy pyjamas.

"I said…. I'll be assigning a student, probably one of your classmates, to tutor you…so that your grades will improve…" he was scanning through some papers, looking so serious as he did. He looked up to face me. "I'll tell you who it is some other time."

"A-alright…Thanks sir!" Even though I didn't like the idea of having a tutor, I was taught to always say "Please" and "Thank you". Yes, my parent's, just like Kuni-chan, are disciplinarians…..I guess it runs in the family! I sighed once more, wondering what Kuni-chan would do if he found out how bad I was doing in English. I mean, Kuni-chan's really good in English! Not just English, he's practically good at EVERY SINGLE SUBJECT! He even corrects the teachers sometimes! But you know what; Kuni-chan can be scary when he tutors you. Yes, I would know this since I asked for his help in math not too long ago. For some strange reason, you feel so tense when you're in front of him! It's as though a teacher is looking at you, just waiting for you to make that one mistake. I swear the only thing Kuni-chan does is stare at you and look at what you write…and once you make a mistake, he won't tell you what you did wrong! He'll make you figure it out yourself! Oh and he hates it when I fall asleep while working….If I was going to get a tutor, I just hope that he or she isn't like Kuni-chan when it comes to tutoring.

I went outside to go to my classroom and saw Ryo-chan just outside. Was he waiting for me or was he just eavesdropping…."Ne, What are you doing here?. Ry-o-cha-nnn…" I asked him in a very playful voice. And just like earlier, he groaned then sighed. "Come on, we're gonna be late for class…." He started pushing me, gently of course, from behind. I giggled at the sight of Ryo-chan. He really hated that name. Doesn't he know that the more he hates it the more I'll use it? Poor poor Ryo-chan.

* * *

Like I said, time is never on your side. If you want things to speed up, time slows down. If you want things to slow down, time speeds up. So there you have it. The day went by so quickly and the thing that I dreaded suddenly came. Yes it was now time to head over to Kojimachi Gakuen and spy on them. Whee….aren't I so lucky ?! Well, there's nothing I can do about it anymore. I already made a deal with Inui-senapi. What's done is done. As I got o the bus, a question appeared in my head…

WHERE IN TOKYO IS KOJIMACHI GAKUEN?! Was I even in the right bus?!

Oh dear me…why didn't Inui-senpai tell me where it was or why didn't he give me a map!? UGH! TODAY WS SO NOT MY DAY!!

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**So that's chapter 2....i hope i didn't bore you to death or wasted 10 mins of your life.**

**PLEASE REVIEW :3 Comments, Suggestions, Constructive criticisms and blah are VERY MUCH WELCOMED (constructive criticisms...not flames....though i don't mind flames ..... it doesn't bother me that much...but still...)**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING !! **

**kur-chan**


	3. One Game

**To those who have reviewed, favorited and alerted , THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! you made my day :D i really appreciate it.**

**Well, midterms are over. SO here's the next chapter!! so sorry if it took so long and blah! anyway, here ya go!**

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**Heart Strings**

Chapter Three: One Game

There I was, at the gates of Kojimachi Gakuen. Yes, for some strange miracle, I actually got here. Students were everywhere, going to their respective clubs and some were already going home. So, here's the question. How was I going in without being noticed? Well, first and foremost, I don't think that's possible. After all, every student here is male, and with me wearing this annoying green uniform, I was definitely going to stick out like a red thorn. I guess there was no use trying to be subtle. I sighed. Here goes nothing!

I quickly ran inside the campus, ignoring the strange looks I've been getting from the different students. Who wouldn't be surprised? I am a girl who is currently in an all-boys' school. It is a bit strange for a girl to be in an all-boy's school isn't it?

After running around the campus trying to find the tennis courts I finally found it. It was huge, probably twice as huge as Seigaku's tennis courts! Okay, phase 1 complete. Now where are those regulars? I scanned through the tennis courts, this time I was trying not to get noticed, after all, I'm sure that members of the tennis club would know that Seigaku was their next opponent. And I was sure that anyone would recognize these hideous uniforms from a mile away. I mean seriously! Uniforms, well, the girl's uniform, from other schools are so much more presentable than ours. Take Fudomine or Hyotei for example. The girl's uniform looks a whole lot better. Anyway, back to being inconspicuous. If you're wondering how I'm doing that, well I run from bush to bush. Good thing our uniform was green huh? Yes, that's one plus side to our uniform. Camouflaging

This was probably the 12th bush that I was hiding in. And look over there, the regulars. Okay, now, I REALLY need to be inconspicuous. So what now? How was I going to get close to them without being seen? Let's see, there's no bush over on that side….but there is a tree over there. I sighed again. Things I do for the team... well actually no. I'm not only doing this for them, I'm also doing this for myself. If I don't do this properly, I would soon face the wrath of Inui-juice. And I was definitely too young to die.

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Can I just say…OUCH. Yes I am currently on top of the tree now. And please don't ask how I got here. That was my very first time climbing up a tree…ever! Luckily, I managed to climb all the way up. Sadly, I am now injured…well not that bad but look at these scratches! Inui-senpai is so dead once I see him! Anyway, I better stop complaining and do my job properly…

Hmm let's see, that's the captain over there, Asakura Shuu. Yes, Inui-senpai took the liberty of getting pictures of each regular and clipping them on each page. And yes, their names were there as well. Good thing too cause I have no idea who these people are. Okay so from the looks of it, I think he's an all rounder kind of guy… WOW! Look at that smash! It's as strong as Momo-senpai's dunk smash, maybe even stronger! And and…

* * *

It's been three whole hours now and they're not done yet… What is it with these people and practicing? They practice even harder than the Seigaku regulars. Wow, they must be THAT dedicated. Actually, it's just the regulars left and a few freshmen. Most of the tennis club members left already since they were dismissed about an hour ago.

Technically, I'm done with data gathering here, though just the basic stuff. I didn't see much tricks and blah, just a few of them. Like this one guy, he has really fast reflexes and runs really fast! When you play him it's like playing a wall! I guess they're still saving those special moves for the matches huh? I sighed. Oh look, it seems like they're done now.

"Whew! I can leave now!" I whispered as I placed Inui-senpai's green notebook that was entitled "Kojimachi Gakuen" inside my clean white, backpack.

I was about to leave when I realized that I didn't know how to get down the tree. Oh Crud. I stood up and tried to go down, like the way you go down a ladder. But sadly I slipped. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact, waited for the pain to arrive…but strangely, I never felt it.

"Ouch! Get off!" I heard a voice nearby shout. I opened my eyes to see where the voice was coming from and saw that I had landed on a person. He had brown messy hair. For some strange reason, the back of his head looked familiar. "AH!" My cheeks turned red from embarrassment. I quickly stood up and started bowing over and over again." I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"

The guy, slowly stood up and dusted himself, "its fine…But what were- Takishima?! Takishima! Is that you ?!"

As I heard my name, I stopped bowing and apologizing and looked up at the person. "Tsuyoshi-kun? Oh my Gosh! Tsuyoshi-kun!" I gave him a huge hug. Confused? Let me explain. Sasahara Tsuyoshi, or Tsuyoshi-kun, was one of my closest friends during grade school. I haven't seen or heard from him in a while, I mean, he doesn't answer my phone calls nor does he reply to my emails. Grrr…

"Ahaha! What are you doing here?!" he seemed very enthusiastic about seeing me. Well, so was I! I mean seriously! Like I said, I haven't seen or heard from him in a while!

"Uh…Well…I was-"

"Hey, Sasahara! What are you doing there huh?" I heard someone shout from behind me. I could capture a glint of mischief in the tone of his voice. I turned around to see who it was. It was one of the regulars, Terashima Jun. He was a sophomore, he was a volley specialist. His style was a bit like Marui Bunta and Akutagawa Jirou combined. He was really good. He's someone to watch out for.

"Ah, senpai! This is my friend, Takishima Miyuki. Takishima, this is my senpai, Terashima Jun" Tsuyoshi-kun introduced us both. Terashima-san reached out his hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Takishima-san." As a sign of courtesy, I shook his hand "It's nice to meet you too Terashima-san"

Terashima-san laughed. "Please, call me Jun! I feel so old when you call me 'Terashima-san' I mean, that's what people call my dad!" He joked. He seemed like a nice and friendly person. He kinda reminds me of Momo-senpai. I giggled. "Alright then, you can call me Miyuki then."

Jun-san then turned to Tsuyoshi-kun, mischief gleaming from his eyes, and gave him a head lock. "Hey kiddo! Why didn't you tell me that you had such a cute girlfriend." Pause. Wait…. what did he say? Did he just say…

"G-GIRLFRIEND?!?!" yes, as you have guessed that was me and Tsuyoshi-kun just now. Wow, look at Jun-san laugh. I guess he's having fun right now huh?

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"Anyway Takishima, what were you doing in our school anyway?" We, Tsuyoshi-kun, Jun-san and I, were heading towards the burger joint. Apparently, they were both hungry and decided to drag me along with them.

I laughed nervously. "Uh...well I uh…" I scratched the back of my head, thinking of an excuse. Maybe I should've though of one beforehand. "I got lost…I kinda fell asleep on the bus when I was getting home?" yeah that works good job Miyuki! Oh I hope they buy it. Oh dear Lord, did I just talk to myself? I could hear snickering from behind. "Nah! I bet you were spying on us, weren't you?" he chuckled as he ruffled my hair. "Come on admit it! I saw you scribbling things from that tree" Now I was caught in Jun-san's head lock. There was that tone of mischief again. I sighed. Yeahp, he was SO like Momo-Sempai. Grr…I can't believe I was caught. No use lying now huh? Besides, I'm not really good with making up excuses.

I sighed. "And I thought I did a good job at hiding too"

Jun-san ran his hands through his dark, jet black hair and laughed. When I mean laugh I mean LOL, laugh out loud, but not too loud though. "Well, I wouldn't have noticed you if I hadn't seen leaves falling from the tree. Next time, just don't move so much" he ruffled my hair, just like how Momo-senpai does it.

"So Takishima, why were you spying on us anyway? I mean, sure, Seikgaku and Kojimachi will be having a match next week but… that would be the boys' team. Were you that good in tennis that the school allowed you to be on the boys' team?" There was curiosity evident in Tsuyoshi-kun's voice. And there goes Tsuyoshi-kun's curiosity. Hasn't he heard the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat'? As you can guess by now, Tsuyoshi-kun is a very inquisitive person. He just likes poking at other people's business.

I giggled half heartedly "I'm just the Boys' tennis club manager. That's all… Besides, I quit tennis long ago…I'm not that good anyway!" I giggled half heartedly once again. Tennis talk, Tennis talk about me, was something that I really wanted to avoid.

Tsuyoshi-kun stopped walking and stared at me, shocked. Yes, his eyes are really big now. "What do you mean you quit tennis?! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?! YOU LOVE TENNIS! AND YOU'RE REALLY GOOD AT IT TOO!!"He was whining now. Typical Tsuyoshi-kun, whining about things like these. Tsuyoshi-kun was a really caring friend. He knew that I love tennis, I still do. But, I just can't play, not right now, not with the state I am currently in. My eyes just twitched at what he said. I sighed. I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Jun-san's. I looked at him. From the expression he had on his face, it seemed like he was planning something.

"Miyuki-chan, let's play a match. If you don't win at least one game from me, I will get that notebook with our data on it from you…" He was smiling as he said that. Oh gosh… I can't let him get that notebook! Or else..or else…I paled at the thought of Inui-juice rushing down my throat. Ewwie. I have to do it. My life depended on it.

"Go easy on me okay?"

* * *

"One set match, Takishima to serve"

Jun-san had decided that I should serve first so here I am, serving. Gosh. I threw the ball up in the air and jumped, the center of my racket making contact with the ball. Good job, it's in! Out o nowhere, Jun-san quickly returned the ball. He didn't even put much effort into it. Sadly, I didn't catch it in time. It was just too fast. "Oi, Mi-yu-ki-chan!" he sang playfully as he winked. "Play seriously now, you're left handed aren't? I saw you writing with your left hand earlier. You don't want me to take that notebook away from you now right?" He chuckled. He seemed to be enjoying it so far. I wonder why he wanted me to play so badly? Was it because of what Tsuyoshi-kun said?

Time to serve again. This time I had Tsuyoshi-kun's racket on my right hand. If you're wondering why I'm using Tsuyoshi-kun's racket, well, he offered and I didn't have a racket with me. As simple as that. Ready, 1,2,3! I served the ball once again, and the rally started.

* * *

It's been about thirty five minutes since the game and I was losing was bad. For one, I might end up having to drink Inui-senpai's evil concoction and two; my shoulder was hurting already, really bad. It was a match point now, just one more point and I can stop already. I had asked Jun-san if we could end the match as soon as I had won a game. He gladly agreed. But for some strange reason, I really don't want the game to end, not yet. It's been quite a while since I've last played. I had almost forgotten how fun tennis was, the thrill, the excitement. I didn't want it to end…but I just had to….or else….

Okay, Jun-san's serving now. And his serves are strong. He's not going easy on me at all! He's going all out! He doesn't want me to win does he?

As soon as he served the ball, I quickly ran to the net and hit the ball so that he wouldn't be able to go near the net. Once he's near the net it would be so hard to get a ball past him. He's like a wall once he's near the net. My tactic worked he was still at the baseline. Ah…a lob! Advantage Miyuki-chan! I prepared myself, I was about to smash the ball when I was interrupted.

"Miyuki!" I heard a loud stern voice. I was surprised, shocked… I knew that voice; I knew exactly who called me. There's no doubt about it. It had to be him. He sounded upset, angry even. I stopped what I was doing and turned around and faced him. I didn't expect him to be here. No, that wasn't it. I didn't want him to be here, to see what I was doing

"K-kuni-chan…w-what are you doing here?"

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**Hey guys! So sorry if you got confused :)) especially about the tennis match thinger....i play tennis but I honestly don't know much terms...and i only know, like, basic rules when it comes to scoring so yeah....**

**ANYWAY! watcha think? too fast?? annoying?? boring?? anything?? **

**REVIEW :D comments, suggestions and constructive criticisms are very much welcomed :D**


	4. Dispute

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Hey Guys, here's the next chapter. Hope you'll enjoy :D

**SHOUTOUT: Ocean949, strawbewii, Different Child, sakuraxgaara2233, invisible-gurl, Different Child. I know it's kinda late but thanks soo mch for reviewing :D**

**kur-chan**

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**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Four: Dispute**

"Ne, Kuni-chan, Say something…Anything?" It's been really awkward. Ever since we left the tennis court earlier, Kuni-chan hasn't uttered a single word. It was pretty weird too, I had expected him to give me a lecture, get mad and all that. But nothing, nada, zippo. Was he that upset about me? Or did he not just care at all? Whatever the reason was, it was just too quiet. Awkward silence, that's what you call it. "Kuni-cha-"

"Miyuki-chan" He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "What on earth were you doing?!" He yelled at me, anger evident in his voice. Never in my entire life had I heard Kuni-chan this mad. Sure he gets mad during tennis practice but this level of anger was somewhat different. No scratch that. It was ENTIRELY different.

He had the right to get mad at me. I was at fault. I had promised not to do that, to play tennis, not now, not yet. It was for my own good, for health purposes. And yet I broke that promise. Sure, it wasn't my idea to play tennis, but, I should've just refused. And truth be told? I really wanted to play. I wanted the game to last longer. "I'm sorry, Kuni-chan" I lowered my head, sadness came to me. I didn't hear anything…I looked up to see Kuni-chan walking away, entering the house and closing the door…. He was mad at me, I could tell….

* * *

_Ring Ring_

It was the first time that I've heard my alarm clock ring ever since school in Seigaku had started. Usually, Kuni-chan would wake me up early in the morning, even before the sun rose, be it on a weekday or a weekend. But today was different. He didn't bother waking me up. He didn't bother on struggling, pulling me out of bed, threatening me with 50 laps around the neighbourhood. There was none of that today. I sighed, there was no use complaining now. Time to get up and go to school I guess... Practice would be starting in about 30 minutes now.

I quickly took a bath got dressed and went downstairs with my bag. Auntie was in the kitchen, cooking something up.

"Good morning auntie." I tried saying in as enthusiastically as I could but I guess I failed. She noticed hints of sadness and disappointment in my voice. "Is there something wrong dear?" she stopped what she was doing, which was stirring the contents of a bowl together, and looked at me with concern.

"It's nothing…." I looked around, looked at the seat that he would always sit on. "Did Kuni-chan leave already?" I asked, not averting my eyes from that seat, the seat where Kuni-chan would usually sit.

She nodded. "He left about forty minutes ago. Come to think of it, the two of you seemed to be very quiet ever since you got home yesterday. Did something happen?" she was very concerned. She was Kuni-chan's mother after all and my auntie, of course she was concerned with her son's and her niece's well being.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it aunty. I'm sure everything will be fine." _I hope…_ I forced a smile unto myself. "Well, I better get going now! I might be late for practice. Bye Auntie!" I hurriedly left the kitchen and out the door before auntie could say anything else. I really wanted to avoid that topic for now. I wasn't used to it. I wasn't used to having Kuni-chan THIS mad at me before. Sure, we'd have our usual bickering but Kuni-chan wouldn't get mad that much. He would just get really annoyed and would either massage the bridge of his nose or his temples.

I started walking towards school with the same train of thoughts. For some strange reason, I just couldn't get it out of my head.

"BOO!" I gasped as I heard someone screamed right behind me. I nearly tripped on the sidewalk. I guess I was pondering too much, huh. I turned around to see who it was that scared the living daylights out of me. It was just Eiji-nii. Right beside him was the resident sadistic tensai, Fuji Syuuske. And as always, they were both smiling.

"O-Ohayo!" I said as enthusiastically as I could, ignoring the fact that they nearly gave me a heart attack. Usually I would scream at the two and then chase them away. But I was in no mood to do that.

The two stared at each other for a while, puzzled, but chose to ignore whatever it was that left them confused and just returned my greeting.

"Ohayo, Miyuki-chan" Fuji-senpai smiled his usual smile.

"OHAYO MIMI-CHI NYA!!" and as usual, Eiji-nii didn't forget to give me his gigantic bear 't get me wrong, I like Eiji-nii's hugs. They're very warm and comforting but… I need oxygen too you know.

"Eiji-nii. Can't. Breathe" I struggled to tell him. From the background you could hear Fuji-senpai snickering to himself. Oh I bet he was enjoying this right now. That sadist… "AH! Gomen Gomen Mimi-chi!" he let go of me, chuckling as he did, and continued on walking towards school. "Ne ne, Mimi-chi, why aren't you with Tezuka nya?"

"Hm? Uh…I uh… I just over slept… that's all" I laughed nervously as I scratched the back of my head. I looked forward and saw that we were already in front of school. And good thing too. "Ahaha, oh look. We're here . Let's go or else Kuni-chan…" I sighed. I still couldn't get the images of what had happened last night out of my head. I shook my head. Now wasn't really the right time to be thinking about these things. "K-Kuni-chan might give us laps. Practice is already starting see?" I pointed out before running to the girl's locker room.

"A-ah…" was all that they said before "escaped"

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**FUJI'S POV **

Miyuki-chan has been acting very peculiar lately. Saa, I wonder if it has anything to do with Tezuka. She seemed to be tense and a little bit upset when his name came up earlier. I wonder what happened.

"Eiji, did you notice anything different about Miyuki-chan earlier?" I asked my best friend, who was currently changing into his regulars uniform. We were currently inside the Boy's Locker room. It was just the two of us right now since everyone else was already outside practicing. Apparently, Tezuka wanted to start practice early today. And weirdly enough, everyone else, minus EIji, Miyuki-chan and myself, were early for practice. Even Echizen.

"Hoi? I guess…." He looked up at the ceiling as though he was recalling events that had happened this morning. " She was acting _kinda_ strange this morning. She didn't even get mad at us for startling her nya! Ne Ne Fujiko, What do you think happened to her??"

I just chuckled at his comment. Same old Eiji, thinking about things like this. Although, I really did want to see Miyuki-chan's mad face. Her Surprised face was pretty funny but seeing Miyuki-chan's mad face would have been more enjoyable. Saa, maybe next time, when I catch her off guard again.

"Saa…who knows Eiji…" I closed the door to my locker and headed towards the door. "We better hurry up before Tezuka gets mad."

"Choto Matte! Wait for me!!"

I waited for Eiji and soon enough he was finished changing. Once we stepped out of the locker room, we immediately faced the wrath of Tezuka and his magical laps.

"THIRTY LAPS AROUND THE COURT FOR BEING LATE" Tezuka was in a really bad mood today. Normally, he would start with ten laps as punishment. And he usually starts on time, never earlier, never later. I wonder if it were a mere coincidence that both Tezuka and Miyuki-chan weren't acting like their usual selves.

Miyuki-chan and Eiji had already started running their laps as for me, I wanted to see what was bothering Tezuka so much. I knew Tezuka. Little things don't usually get to him. I had a hunch already. There was something going on between the two cousins. What it was, that was what I wanted to find out.

"Ne, Tezuka….You and Miyuki-chan are acting weird today." I glanced at Miyuki-chan then back at him ."Did anything happen between the two of you…Perhaps an argument or something?" I waited to see what his reactions were. Knowing him, if there was some truth in what I had just said, he would give me extra laps.

"Fuji…."

"Hm?"

"Eighty laps around the courts!" I smiled slightly. BINGO. So something did happen between the two cousins. Saa, I guess I'll just find out later.

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

I was currently inside the club room with Inui-senpai. Why was I here? I came here to give Inui-senpai his notebook, and as soon as I gave it to him he started working on a training menu for the regulars and started creating yet another batch of Inui juice.

"Takishima, Kindly give this to Tezuka" he handed me a piece of paper which seemed like a training menu. Wow, he works really fast.

I stared at the paper. I was staring at it so long and intently that I didn't realize that Inui-senpai was trying to get my attention. "Ahem…Takishima?"

"Ah! s-sorry…" I hesitantly took the paper from him. "T-to K-Kuni-chan right?"

"Hai. Tell him it's a new training menu I've made to prepare us with our upcoming match against Kojimachi Gakuen…" Inui-senpai explained as he continued creating his "new and improved" Inui juice

"A-ah…A-alright. I-I'll go give this to him… now…" As I turned around and exited the club room, I could've sworn that I heard Inui-senpai mutter "Ii data" I sighed.

I looked around, trying to find Kuni-chan. Ah. There he is, in court D, along with all the other tennis regulars. I started walking towards him but the smaller the distance between us, the closer I would get to him, for some strange reason, I would slow down. And right now, my feet were glued to the floor, they didn't want to budge at all. I was roughly five steps away from him. Why was I so nervous? Why was I so afraid to approach him? It was just my cousin; it was just Kuni-chan. He's not that scary….

I gulped and slowly went up to him.

"K-Kuni-chan….."

Hmm…maybe he didn't hear me…

"Kuni-chan?"I spoke a little louder, loud enough for him to hear.

He ignored me. I'm sure that he heard me. Kuni-chan isn't deaf, I'm positive that he isn't deaf. He wasn't talking to anyone at that moment, just staring at the regulars practicing. I was starting to get upset. Why was he being so childish?

"Kuni-chan…" I said a bit more aggressive than earlier. Still, he ignored me. This time I was a hundred percent sure that he heard me. For one, I saw his eye move from the regulars and to me and the fact that a few people were already looking meant that I was loud enough to be heard. Ugh…what's with him?

"KUNI-CHAN!" I screamed as loud as I could. From the tone of my voice, you could tell that I was really angry at the moment

"Nani" I was taken aback at his reply. The tone of his voice…sure he didn't scream at me like he did yesterday but… there was this cold aura from his voice. It was somewhat venomous. I had felt a thousand shards of ice pass right through me at that very moment…I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what else to say. At that moment it felt like….like….it felt like I was about to get hit by a car and was just standing there, in the middle of the road, ready to get hit.

I handed him the piece of paper that Inui-senpai gave me and excused myself from the courts. This Kuni-chan….he was so different from the usual Kuni-chan. I left the courts that the regulars occupied and went over to the other courts.

* * *

It was lunchtime and there I was at the rooftop I had been here all day. Yes, I didn't bother going to class seeing that I was way too distracted as it is. I knew for a fact that if I were to go back to class, I'll just end up getting scolded for not paying attention. Since this morning, I kept on telling myself that everything will be alright, that things will be back as it used to be. I was trying to be optimistic but it seems like it wasn't working. I sighed. I was just there standing at the very corner or as I call it "my spot" of the rooftop, my hands clenching the fence that prevented the students or anyone from falling or jumping off. A soft breeze passed, brushing off my skin.

I loved the rooftop. This was where I would usually vent all my anger and worries. Whenever I failed an exam or was upset over something, I would come here and let it all out. Whatever was on my mind, I would scream it out loud. I would shout, shout all my problems away.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, ready to scream.

* * *

**RYOMA'S POV**

The classroom was way too noisy. I wanted to sleep. I was tired from morning practice. Buchou was merciless today. He gave punishments for the littlest mistake anyone would make. Che…I bet he was in a bad mood or something like that. And the way he spoke to Miyuki-chan…it was so cold. I have never seen Buchou act like that to anyone, especially not Miyuki-chan. I wonder what happened. Well, whatever. Not my business….

I went to the rooftop. It was pretty quiet up there. That's where I would usually take my naps whenever I was tired.

Upon opening the door to the rooftop, I saw a familiar figure standing at the corner. It was a girl, a really short girl. She had pink hair that went till her waist.

It was Miyuki-chan…So this was where she went…I haven't seen her all day since "that" happened. I'm guessing she's still upset…I wonder what she's doing here…

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

I screamed as hard and as loud as I could.

"KUNI-CHAN YOU BIG IDIOT!! I SAID I WAS SORRY!! I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY……I'm….sorry…..I really am….sorry…" My voice had gotten softer and squeakier as I clenched the fence harder. I was now ready to break down. Didn't I mention? I am a big cry baby. I never liked fighting with someone, especially a close friend. Kuni-chan was more than a close friend. He was family. He's like a cross between a dad and a brother. He was my favourite cousin. He was one that I'd tell all my problems to, the one who made all my problems go away. Ironic isn't it? That right now, he was the source of my sadness….

"Miyuki-chan…"

I wiped the little drops of tears that were forming from the corners of my eyes and sniffed. "R-ryo-chan…How long have you been here?"

"Long enough…." He said monotonously, as usual. "What's wrong….your nose is all red…." He looked up at the sky as he asked. Ryo-chan knew that whenever I cry, my nose would turn really red. Sometimes, he would even call me Rudolf because of that.

"I'm fine Ryo-chan. It's nothing…" Yes, it was a lie. But I really didn't want to make Ryo-chan worry about me.

Then, I was surprised at what happened. Never had I seen Ryo-chan, the super rookie, the arrogant cocky freshman, THE Ryoma Echizen like this. He had never given anyone a hug. He hated hugs. He would always complain about Eiji-nii and Momo-senpai's hugs.

That did it, I broke down crying. I don't know why but, I felt so…emotional at that moment. For some strange reason, Ryo-chan's hug had a strange effect on me.

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**RYOMA'S POV**

For a while, I had known Miyuki-chan's tendency to cry over something so simple. She even cries when she watches those stupid soap operas that Momo-senpai watches. She seemed really upset right now. She was already in the verge of tears. I don't know why I did it. I hated hugs. I really don't like them, especially Kikumaru-senpai's hugs. But for some reason I had an urge to hug he, I had an urge to try and comfort her. But then she started crying even harder, she was sobbing really hard and hugged me tighter. What was I supposed to do now? Hmmm… I sighed and just stood there, allowing my shoulder to get soaked with Miyuki-chan's tears. Ah well. Whatever…

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**FUJI'S POV**

_Click. _

I watched the two of them. Aww, aren't they so cute. Times like these, I was glad that I brought my camera along with me. I guess Echizen has a sweet side to him after all. That aside…I'm still curious as to what happened between the two cousins. Those too need to make up soon. Teasing an already angry Tezuka and an upset Miyuki chan is no fun at all. Hmmmm….

"Saa….I have a plan…."

* * *

I had gathered every single regular, minus Tezuka and Miyuki-chan, inside the boy's locker room. Echizen wasn't here as well seeing the he was still with Miyuki-chan. How I managed to convince the others to come? I don't think you'd want to know. Let's just say that it involved a lot of candid pictures.

"Fuji-senpai! Why are we here in the middle of lunch time?" Momo was whining. I had disturbed him from his "mountain of food earlier". Saa…oh well.

"Well….You've noticed it too haven't you? The tension between Tezuka and Miyuki-chan?" I looked around and it seemed that they call agreed. It was pretty obvious after all. During practice earlier, Miyuki-chan couldn't even go near Tezuka and Tezuka was, well he was being Tezuka, but this time he was so cold to Miyuki-chan and was completely giving her the silent treatment.

I told everyone my plan on how to get Miyuki-chan and Tezuka back to their normal selves. At first, everyone was against it, knowing that Tezuka will probably give them more than a hundred laps. True, they wanted the two cousins to make up as well, but they wanted to do it in a more conventional way, "The boring way". But as soon as I showed those candid pictures again, they decided to go along with my plan. Saa…who knew pictures would have such a big effect on a person. Saa…this'll be fun…

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**Yes i know...once again...a very short chapter ._. hahaha. I'll try to make it longer next time. I honestly don't know what Fuji's plan should be. I have an idea on what he should do but i'm not sure if it would work ._. So SUGGESTIONS would be GREAT :D Yayz. Finals are next week BUT I'll try my best to update as soon as i can :)**

**THANKS AGAIN FOR READING THE CHAPTER :D HOPE YOU ENJOYED :D**

**REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :D XD 3**

**TRANSLATIONS(JUST IN CASE?)**

**OHAYO = GOOD MORNING**

**GOMEN = SORRY**

**CHOTO MATTE = WAIT** **( or something like that ._.)**

**NANI = WHAT  
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	5. Sorry Sorry

**Hey Guys, So Sorry for the late update. Second trimester was hell and i barely had time to write. Also, i noticed that i can only write/ i only have inspiration to write when it's between 10 pm to 5am. Weird ._. Anyway, here's the latest chapter.**

**Shoutouts: Thank you to Different Child, Kouyan and Princess-Lazy-Chan for the reviews.**

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**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Five: Sorry Sorry**

It's been four days, not including today, since Kuni-chan and I started giving each other the silent treatment. Honestly speaking, it still bothered me quite a lot. Home has been really quiet without our usual banters. Well, it's usually just me ranting with Kuni-chan either ignoring me or replying "Ah.." And every practice time, I couldn't even approach Kuni-chan. I would usually be engulfed with fear. Why was I scared? I had no idea. All I know was that he had this "aura" that made me feel uncomfortable whenever I tried to approach him.

"Miyuki-chan…." I was finally snapped out of my thoughts when I felt a hard poke on my forehead. It was Ryo-chan. "Ah, Ryo-chan, what's up?" I asked with a smile on my face. It was a habit that I had gotten used to. Smiling. Yup, whenever I ask a say something, given that I'm not too depressed or mad, I smile. "Classes are over, time to go to practice. Ja, I'll go ahead." Ryo-chan left. He always does that. For some strange reason, he likes leaving me behind. He does this on purpose, I can tell. He knows how much I hate it when he leaves me behind. Maybe he's taking revenge for all the Inui juice I tried to shove down his throat?

It took a while for it to sink in. Crud, I'm gonna be late for practice…I quickly jolted from my seat and slammed my hands on the table. "I'm gonna be late for practice and I still haven't packed up my stuff!" Even though I'm just the manager of the team, my presence was still important. I had to set up a lot of things, bring out all kinds of materials, observe the regulars and create a training regime and do a bunch of stuff. It was a tiring yet fun job. Why fun? Well, two words. Inui Juice. Yeah, I'm a sadist, I know. But I'm not as sadistic as Fuji-senpai. Though, I think I got my sadism from Fuji-senpai. Whatever

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"One-Two, One-Two, One-Two, One-Two"

As soon as I reached the courts and changed into my PE uniform, and yes, I wear my PE uniform during practice, everyone was already practicing. The freshmen were practicing their swinging, the juniors were running laps and the regulars were having practice matches. But something was up, something was different today. Usually, there would be a certain someone, bellowing at the regulars or at least watching them. But. Today, he wasn't here. Tezuka Kunimitsu, the captain of the tennis team wasn't here. And you know what else? Fuji-senpai was also missing. Hmm, where are they?

"O-i-shi-sen-pai!" I exclaimed as I ran up to him. He was currently watching the games that were going on. It was Momo-senpai against Kaidoh-senpai. From the looks of it, Kaido-senpai had this game in the bag. As soon as he heard me, he turned around "Ah, Takishima. You're finally here."

"Ahahaha" I laughed nervously as I started to explain myself. "Yeah, sorry Senpai. Er, I was packing my stuff slower than usual today, it won't happen again!" I said as enthusiastically as I could. He chuckled as he ruffled my hair. Is it just me or does everyone like ruffling my hair? "It's fine. Good thing Tezuka's not here though. He'd probably make you run laps for being late." That piqued up my curiosity. Kuni-chan was always there during practice, not unless he had something to discuss with Riyuzaki-sensei. Thing is, Riyuzaki-sensei is on a sick leave. So, where could Kuni-chan be? "Neh, Senpai, speaking of Kuni-chan, where is he anyway? Fuji-senpai isn't here either…" I said as I scanned the courts. Nope, no sign of them whatsoever. "Ah, If I'm correct, I think they had to take care of some things…" It seemed like Oishi-senpai didn't want to dwell on the matter. Hmm, I wonder what's up. I sighed. Oh well, I guess I'll find out sooner or later anyway.

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**FUJI'S POV**

"Tezuka"

"Fuji"

"Tezuka"

"Fuji"

A chuckle. "Yes Tezuka"

"Fuji" Tezuka was getting really mad now. You can tell from the look he was giving me. And the fact he was pinching the bridge of his nose showed signs of stress. Saa. I chuckled once again. This was way too much fun, torturing the prestigious and well renowned captain of Seigaku's Tennis team. "Yes Tezuka" This has been going for quite some time now, he says my name, I say his. It started about a few minutes ago, when he had asked me why I wanted to talk to him. I, intern, decided to have some fun and torment him for a bit. And well, this happened.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose once again. "Fuji, what do you need?"

As much as I wanted to continue tormenting Tezuka, I was kind of in a rush. I guess I better stop now. I sighed as I looked down to the courts from the classroom. Yes, I was in Tezuka's classroom. I mentioned this earlier on, about wanting to talk to Tezuka about something. Yeah yeah. Anyway, back to what I was saying. "Tezuka, when will you stop giving Miyuki-chan the cold shoulder? I don't know what happened between the two of you but, don't you think it's time to forgive her or at least talk to her? I mean, she's been saying sorry for the past few days…." I asked, more seriously, eyes still looking down on the courts.

It was silent. Pure and utter silence filled the air.

"A-ah…" Was all that Tezuka said. I sighed. I guess Tezuka's pride was rather big huh? Well, I guess I'll just have to do this the hard way then. A smile crept through my lips as these thoughts ran through my head. Saa, this is going to be fun. Lately, I've realized that it's much more amusing and interesting to meddle in other people's lives. I wonder why. I chuckled to myself.

"Saa Tezuka, that was a rather pleasant talk. Let's do this again." I said, patting his shoulders as I did, and retreated to the door. "We better go now, practice started a few minutes ago."

"Ah…" On that note, I headed towards the tennis courts. And Tezuka? Well, he decided to stay for a bit.

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

They were all in high spirits. Or maybe it was just Inui-senpai's Juice. Alright, let me explain what's happening as of the moment. So the regulars were practicing right? Well, Inui-senpai thought, more like I convinced him, that they lacked enthusiasm…..SOOO, Inui juice enters the picture. Whoever loses will have to drink one whole pitcher of Golden Power Remix Inui Juice. What? Simply watching them was boring! And it's been proven that fear or any form of threat triggers adrenaline rush. Meaning, they'd perform better and would perform to their best abilities. Making it easier for me to observe and collect data. And besides, this was a lot of fun. And guess who's having fun right now? Fuji-senpai and me, yes, Fuji-senpai has finally appeared and no, Kuni-chan is still missing. I was still curious about where Kuni-chan was. When I had asked Fuji-senpai where Kuni-chan was, he simply answered "Saa, who knows" with a smile plastered on his face.

"AAH! WATER WATER WATER !" Eiji-nii just lost to Fuji-senpai. Poor Eiji-nii. Fortunately or unfortunately, he was able to reach the water fountain. I sighed.

"Here Fuji-senpai, Keep up the good work" I approached Fuji-senpai, who seemed a bit amused as he watched Eiji-nii run towards the water fountain, and handed him a towel "Arigato Miyuki-chan" Fuji-senpai gladly took the towel that I offered , wiped the sweat off his face and smiled his usual smile. Here comes the scream

"KYAAA" yup, those were Fuji-senpai's fan girls. Everyone from the regulars had fan girls, even Ryo-chan! Only six months being a regular and he already has fan girls. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm jealous of Ryo-chan's fan girls. He's just my best friend, nothing more, nothing less….yeaaaah. It's just that. Do you have any idea how hard it is to work with all those screams? There are only two people who can control the regulars fan clubs and unfortunately, both were missing; Riyuzaki-sensei and Kuni-chan.

I sighed. Gosh, these screaming girls are annoying. "Saa Miyuki-chan, you seem upset about something" he smiled again. And, here comes the scream…again."KYAAA" I sighed as I covered my ears to prevent them from popping. Fuji-senpai was obviously doing this on purpose, he is a master sadist after all. I'm sure he knows very well that I don't like screaming fan girls and I'm sure he knows very well that his smiles are igniting the screams of his fan girls. I sighed. "Bet-su-ni" I giggled, I was obviously being sarcastic. But that's just how our conversations go…..usually….whenever he goes all sadistic on me. "Anyway senpai, I better give everyone else their towels." But before I could leave or even take one step…

"Ah, Miyuki-chan?" Fuji-senpai called me. Hmm, I wonder what he wants. "What is it senpai?" I was curious. Despite Fuji-senpai being an annoying sadist, he was really fun to talk to. We could talk about anything under the sun, plus he knows a bunch of fun facts, which makes the conversations really interesting. AND, he knows a bunch of ways to mess with people. "I need a little help on something" that's something you don't see everyday; the great tensai, Fuji Syuusuke, asking for help. WOW.

* * *

It was a beautiful Saturday morning and what was I doing? Well, I was standing right in front of the fountain. You know the big one smack in the middle of town? Yeah, that fountain. I was waiting for over fifteen minutes now. I glanced at my watch once again just to make sure that my eyes weren't deceiving me, and well, it wasn't. It was fifteen minutes past ten o'clock. I wonder what happened to Fuji-senpai? It wasn't like him to be late. Okay let me give you a recap of what happened yesterday. Remember how Fuji-senpai needed a little help? Well, you see, next week would be the birthday of Fuji-senpai's oneechan, so he decides to buy his big sister a gift. Problem is, he doesn't know what to give her. So he asks me to give him a little helping hand. So here I am, waiting and waiting and waiting. I sighed. I really hated waiting. Did I mention that I'm not that patient? Sure, I can handle waiting for five minutes, but fifteen minutes? Grr. I even tried calling Fuji-senpai, but he wasn't answering his phone. I wonder what happened to him? I sighed. I guess I'll have to wait a little longer huh?

* * *

**TEZUKA'S POV**

I was walking towards the town's fountain. Why? One word. Fuji. I wonder what he wants? He said it was something important, but, why do we have to meet near the fountains in the first place? Wouldn't it be more convenient to go to his house? Wait. That didn't seem like the right question to ask. I think the more appropriate question would be, why did I agree to one of Fuji's requests? I sighed. I was really losing it. It's probably due to all the stress. I sighed once again.

As I was nearing the destination, I noticed a familiar figure, It was Miyuki-chan, she was glancing at her watch. Hmm, wonder what she's doing here. Come to think of it, I recall her leaving the house earlier this morning. Was it a mere coincidence that we were both at the same place at the same time?

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

As I was waiting, I noticed a figure approaching. I squinted a bit to check if it was Fuji-senpai. Nope, it wasn't him; it was just Kuni-chan. Ha? Kuni-chan? What's he doing here? From the looks of it, he seemed a bit caught off guard. Ironic isn't it? He's the one who always says, "Don't let your guard down". Oh, and if you're wondering if Kuni-chan is showing any other expression other than his stone of a face, he's not. How did I know that he seemed as though he was caught off guard? Well, I'm his cousin, I can tell by his actions. He was now beside me, seems like he was waiting for someone. I wonder who it was. Kuni-chan barely goes out, so this person he's meeting is either a really important person to Kuni-chan or just really persuasive.

I already told you how much I didn't like quietness right? Right now, Awkward silence hanged in the air. I sighed. I hated this. You know those scenes in the movies how there would always be a person who'll be late at the wrong time? Well guess what, Fuji-senpai is that person. Where in the world is Fuji-senpai?

"Miyuki-chan, what are you doing here?" I was surprised. What's this? Did I hear right? Kuni-chan, The Tezuka Kunimitsu, The Iceman of Seigaku's tennis team, was starting a conversation? The world was definitely coming to an end.

* * *

**TEZUKA'S POV**

It was quiet, maybe too quiet even for me. As much as I like silence and peace, this was just ridiculous. Whenever I was with my cousin, the word silence never existed. Even though I remained silent, she would always talk about anything under the sun. I then remembered what Fuji had told be yesterday. I sighed. I was going against my own morals. "Miyuki-chan, what are you doing here?" I started a conversation.

She seemed a bit flustered and nervous. Who wouldn't blame her, I haven't talked to her or even acknowledged her existence for almost a week. "Ah, um…er…. uh, I-I'm waiting for F-fuji-senpai. He, er, w-wanted me to help him uh, look for a b-birthday gift for his s-sister."

"Fuji?" I sighed. Should have known he had something to do with this. I decided to call Fuji.

_RING RING._

"_Yes Tezuka?" _Fuji answered his phone with an amused and teasing voice. I sighed. this was definitely Fuji Syuusuke.

"Fuji, What's going on here?"

"_What's going on with what Tezuka?" _He chuckled, I could tell that he was amused. He was definitely playing one of his mind games. "Calling both me and Miyuki-chan out here?"

He chuckled once again. _"Saa, I don't know what you're talking about Tezuka" _I sighed once again. Fuji was being difficult. Among all the members of the tennis team, Fuji was probably my closest friend, but he also gave me a lot of migraines.

"Fuji"

"_Maa Maa, Tezuka. You were being too stubborn, so we divided to give you a little boost."_ We? What did he mean by we? The rest of the team? I sighed and closed my phone. Seriously, one day I'm going to die of a migraine. How many laps should I give them for this? Is fifty enough?

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

I was a bit confused at the moment. Questions were running through my head. Where is Fuji-senpai? Why on earth was Kuni-chan talking with Fuji-senpai right now? What were they talking about? What on earth is happening? This was really confusing.

"Ano, Kuni-chan?" Kuni-chan sighed as he stared as his phone. "Miyuki-chan, It seems like Fuji isn't coming…but there's something I'd like to discuss" Once again, I was confused. Why wasn't Fuji-senpai coming? What did Fuji-senpai and Kuni-chan talk on the phone anyway? As if I wasn't confused enough, Kuni-chan decides to talk tom me about something. This day has to be the most confusing day ever!

"Oh, umm…alright. W-what is it Kuni-chan?" I was both curious and afraid at the same time. Curious because, well, it's not everyday Kuni-chan decides to strike up a conversation let alone start one. And well, those are the same reasons why I'm afraid.

Next thing I knew, he did something that I never imagined he'd do. "I'm sorry" he bowed as he said those two words. "I should have accepted your apology sooner. Please accept my apology" Kuni-chan has finally accepted my apology, what more, he's saying sorry for something that is unnecessary. It was now my turn to be caught off guard. I honestly didn't know how to handle this kind of situation.

"I…I uh…I'm sorry too Kuni-chan." I bowed as I apologized and stood back up. "You had every right to get mad. I mean, I shouldn't have been playing tennis in the first place. Not yet at least" I laughed nervously and sighed. "I guess….I just missed it too much and well, being the manager of the tennis team wasn't enough to satisfy my craving…" I sighed.

Then felt a hug. This was a side that Kuni-chan never showed anyone other than his family. But, it's usually rare for Kuni-chan to show this side. This was the Kuni-chan I liked. The fatherly, brotherly and caring Kuni-chan. This was the Kuni-chan that I had missed.

I looked up. "Neh, Kuni-chan, let's get an ice cream. My treat." I giggled as I started to drag him towards the nearest ice cream place.

* * *

**So Tezuka has finally forgiven Miyuki-chan. What will Tezuka do to the other regulars ? What will happen next? And what about Ryoma and Miyuki? Will anything happen between them? **

**Okay, that was a lame attempt to pique your curiosity. FAIL. Anyway, _REVIEWS ARE VERY MUCH WELCOMED_. :D**

**TRANSLATIONS:**

**Arigatou - Thank You**

**Betsuni - It's nothing. (or somewhere along those lines)**


	6. Tugging of the Heart

**Okay Guys, Chapter 6 is up. YAY :D It's the first week of class and i still have time to update and write chapters :D It's not much but i hope you guys enjoy!**

**SHOUT OUTS: Never Ending Nightmares and Princess-Lazy-Chan, Thank you so so so much for the reviews :D**

**So, once again, here's chapter 6 !**

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**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Six: Tugging of the Heart**

It was really hot. It was as hot as a summer's day. I wiped the beads of sweat that trickled down my forehead. Everyone seemed a bit unenthusiastic about practice, even me. Who wouldn't be in this weather? I'll tell you who, the regulars. Then again, their "enthusiasm" was a bit forced. What were they doing right now? Running laps as usual. "AAAHH" they were screaming, nearing the finish line. And as usual, they all finished at the same time. I clicked the stop watch. Wow, despite the hot weather they all managed to make it in time. Well, I guess that's what Inui-juice does for you. Yeah, once again Inui senpai ad threatened the team with his "oh so magical" juice if they didn't finish the last lap in less than a minute. I sighed.

Everyone, minus Kuni-chan and Fuji senpai, were lying on the floor. They were so exhausted. It looked as though they would collapse any minute. I sighed. They should really pay attention to their health. Of course, practice was important, but too much of it isn't good. They could strain a muscle, fracture a bone or even get sick. And it's my job to make sure that none of these things happen, especially now that preliminaries were near. I started handing them their towels and water bottles. "You guys should really rest a bit. You don't want to injure yourselves before the preliminaries right?" I smiled. Preliminaries were at the end of the week. It would be really bad if the regulars weren't in tip top shape.

"Takishima, here." Inui-senpai handed me a water bottle. You know, the same one the regulars use, the gray one with a straw on it. "You'll end up dehydrated for staying too long under the sun. It would be bad if our manager collapsed." I think what Inui-senpai tried to say was, "Takishima, if you collapse, I won't have anyone to help me collect data." I sighed. Well, at least he did care about my safety right?

"Ah, Arigatou senpai." I smiled as I gladly took the bottle from him, I was a bit thirsty after all. Being under the hot scourging sun for hours is something that no one wants to do. I looked at the bottle and chugged it down….Ew, it tasted horrible! Uh-oh. Gag reflex. I dropped the water bottle and ran towards the nearest water fountain. Grr. I bet Inui-senpai spiked my water bottle!! UGH!

* * *

**INUI'S POV**

Possibility of Takishima drinking the contents of the bottle I gave her, eighty two percent. I smirked as soon as she drank it, Now, I'll be able to see the effects of my juice on a girl. She did a gag reflex and ran. I think she's going to vomit. Hmmm, she handed that pretty well. I honestly thought that she was going to collapse. I looked at Fuji, he was smiling. His smile was three centimetres wider. Probability that Fuji is amused at the situation, ninety three percent. Probability of Fuji thinking "I should have done that long ago", ninety six percent.

It seemed that Kaidoh was a bit curious as to what happened to Takishima. He took the bottle and spilled the remaining contents on the ground. Dark green ooze came out and as soon as it hit the ground, the ground simmered. Good sign.

"AAH! Inui-senpai gave Miyuki-chan some Inui juice! That's not right, not right at all!" Momoshiro yelled. Probability that Momoshiro is more amused of what happened to Takishima rather than being upset, seventy six percent. "Actually, Takishima gave me the idea. When she mentioned something about spiking your water bottles. Well, at least now I have my data. He he he." I snickered.

Tezuka looked at me. Probability of Tezuka getting upset at what I did to his cousin and giving me laps, ninety nine point nine percent. "Inui. Thirty laps around the court."

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

If there was something that I swear never to do again, it was to never trust Inui-senpai with food or beverages. It's been six hours since I "accidentally" drank some Inui juice but I can still taste it. I can still feel it going down my throat. BLEH. I will NEVER drink that horrible drink ever again! Suddenly, I made a face. Hopefully, no one saw that. See, when you're bored, you tend to think and do about the weirdest things. I sighed.

Yeah, class was boring as usual, especially since I don't get English that much. I sighed. Darn, there's going to be a long test soon and I can barely translate things in English, let alone speak the language. I sighed once again. Right now, the teacher was discussing something in English. And as you can tell, I was confused. At first, I tried using the dictionary, but then gave up. I really couldn't catch up. Boo, Ryo-chan's lucky, fluent in both English and Japanese. I mean, look at him, he's sleeping! He doesn't even need to listen to the teacher to get a perfect score. I bet he doesn't study for English. Mou, lucky Ryo-chan.

_RING RING. _The school bell rang, meaning, English class was over and it was time to go to the next class, Home Economics, another class that I dread. Here's a little secret. I can't cook anything other than eggs. Yup, that's the sad truth. Whenever I cook or bake something, it either turns out burnt or it tastes bad. I even make rice balls taste bad, and the only thing I put there is rice, salt and a little vinegar. Ridiculous right well at least the things I make aren't half as bad as Inui-senpai's juice. Joy, two dreadful classes in a row. And guess what we're doing today? Baking. We are going to bake a cake today. Dun dun dun. And guess who I have as my partner? Ryo-chan. And get this, neither of us can cook nor bake. How'd we both become partners in the first place? I sighed.

"Echizen, Takishima. A word please?" It was the teacher. Ryo-chan and I approached him. "What is it sensei?"

"I already mentioned the matter about you having a tutor right?" I nodded. "Well, I've decided on who your tutor can be. I already talked to Echizen about it, he said it was fine" Ha? When did that happen? Ryo-chan as my English tutor? Well… I guess it could work. I mean, one, he's my best friend, no need to worry about getting along with him, and two, he's fluent in both English and Japanese.

"A-alright. Thank you sir" I bowed as my English teacher left the room. I looked at Ryo-chan, squinted and glared at him before hitting his right arm. "I-Itai! What was that for?"

"THAT. Was for not telling me that you were going to be my tutor"

He raised his eyebrow, a bored expression planted on his face. "Ha? You're weird…."And once again, Ryo-chan decides to leave me behind and like I said before, I hate it when he does that. "Oi, we're gonna be late" I heard him shout from the corridors. "Ryo-chaan! Wait for me!!" I was definitely making a ruckus.

* * *

It was time for home economics. And, like I said earlier, we were supposed to bake a cake. The teacher, well technically it was the school but let's just say it was the teacher since she was the one who brought them to the kitchen, already provided the ingredients and the recipe.

"Alright class, please go to your respective working tables and start baking. Remember to wear your aprons, and please do be careful" she said enthusiastically as she smiled. I don't like the subject, but I do like the teacher. She was one of the nicest teachers in school, very understanding and very motherly.

As soon as I had my white apron on, I headed towards the working table with the recipe on my hand. As for Ryo-chan, he got the ingredients from the teacher's working table.

"Step one. Slice the strawberries in half and toss them with 1/2 cup of white sugar. Set aside. Then preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit."I read the instructions for the cake that we had to bake. Strawberry short cake. Yum. "Neh, Ryo-chan, can you preheat the oven while I slice the strawberries?" I look over to Ryo-chan who had just finished getting, or should I say dumping, the ingredients on our working table.

"Uisu"

"Alright so slice the strawberries in half. That seems easy. Now where are the knives and chopping board?"I started rummaging through the drawers and cabinets of the working table. Oh, here they are. Okay, now…time to slice. There were a lot of things that I'm afraid of, once of which would be sharp and pointy objects. And well, a knife was a sharp and pointy object. I was scared to use it, fearing that I might end up cutting someone's or my own finger. Sadly, I had no choice but to use it. How else would I slice the strawberries right? Okay, here I go, wish me luck! I placed the strawberry on the chopping board and held the handle of the knife with both my hands and, well, started "slicing". And since I wasn't holding the strawberry, it rolled. Grrr. This is gonna take forever.

"Miyuki-san, what are you doing?" It was the teacher. I guess she noticed how I was slicing the strawberry. It was somewhat like how people chop wood, except, I didn't raise my arms that high. I had no intention of poking an eye out. I laughed nervously "Ahaha…I was…slicing the strawberry?" she giggled. I bet she found it funny that I couldn't even slice a single strawberry. "Here let me show you…"

* * *

The kitchen was a mess. For some strange reason, Ryo-chan and I had managed to scatter the batter of the cake all over. Heck, even the walls were covered! Was it our fault that the beater machine thing wasn't working properly? Yes, it went berserk on us! We couldn't even stop it! Not just that, there was also flour everywhere. I sighed. So here we are, cleaning up the mess, scrubbing the floors. And, to top it all off, we never finished baking. So, we have to make another cake tomorrow, during lunch break. I can't believe I'm going to use up my lunch break baking a cake instead of eating one. I sighed of the nth time as I looked out the window.

I looked out the window. It was still a bit early. Class was dismissed earlier than usual due to our little "accident". But still, cleaning takes a long time. "So, I guess, we're missing practice today huh?"

"Mada Mada Dane" I laughed. "It's funny when you say that with your nose all covered with flour" True enough, he really did have floor all over his nose. Not just his nose, even his hair had flour. Honestly, Ryo-chan looks like a grandpa who has powder on his face. I started laughing laughter as the image ran through my head.

He wiped his nose. "Che, you're one to talk. You have flour all over your face." Ryo-chan approached me and gently started wiping the flour off my cheek with his thumb. This was so un-Ryo-chan-like. Given this situation, I really thought that he'd dump more flour on me.

I was now staring at Ryo-chan's face. I've never noticed it before but…he really was quite charming. He had one of the most captivating eyes I've ever seen, next to Fuji-senpai's of course. His skin was perfectly toned. He had the perfect jaw line that suited the shape of his face. And…his smile, the smile would make your heart melt. He had a kind of bittersweet personality. Sometimes he'd be so impassive, but really, he's a very sweet and caring person. He's the perfect guy that everyone wanted. No wonder he has so many fan girls chasing after him. I blushed. Was it because of my train of thought or was it because of the fact that his face was a few inches away from mine? Well, whatever the reason was, it was making me uncomfortable, it was making my heart race. What's wrong with me today? Never in my life have I experienced such a thing.

He stopped wiping my face and was now looking straight at me. Well, this was awkward…. "A he he he" I laughed nervously as I tried to pry away from Ryo-chan's gaze, hoping he doesn't notice my blush "N-neh, R-Ryo-chan…Let's uh, Let's finish up. There, there's still a l-lot we have to c-clean. Hehehe" Ryo-chan just blinked, he seemed a bit confused. Who could blame him? I was acting a bit strange.

"Uisu"

* * *

**EIJI'S POV**

Twenty minutes of practice and I'm already tired. I had just finished fifty laps around the whole court. Nya, Buchou was so mean, giving us fifty laps for setting him and Mimi-chan up. It was for their own good anyway! I sighed. Speaking of Mimi-chi, she and Ochibi won't be coming to practice. You see, I heard from Oishi, who heard it from Buchou, who heard it from Riyuzaki-sensei, who heard it from Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo, that Mimi-chi and Ochibi were on cleaning duty for creating a mess in the kitchen and will be excused from practice. I knew both Mimi-chi and Ochibi can't cook but they couldn't have created that much of a mess could they? I sighed.

"What's wrong Eiji?" Oishi was such a worrywart, but I guess that's what makes Oishi, Oishi nya. "Mou, Oishi! Mimi-chi and Ochibi aren't here! I have no one to play with" I whined to Oishi, something that I had gotten used to. And I guess it was pretty loud cause some of the other club members, well, almost all of the club members who were in hearing range, were staring at me. I just gave them a victory sign out of the blue. It seemed like the right thing to do at the moment.

"Kimumaru, ten laps around the court for disturbing practice" Buchou had interrupted my victory sign session.

"N-nani?!"

"Twenty laps" and just like that, I went back to running more laps. Nya, why do I always get into trouble?

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

I couldn't get my head over what happened. I wasn't talking about the situation itself, more of, why in the world was I so flushed back then. I mean, it was just Ryo-chan. He's my best friend and I talk to him EVERYDAY. So why would, why would I start feeling as though my heart's going to explode whenever I talk to him? Ugh. Maybe, it's a side effect from Inui-senpai's juice? Yeah, maybe that's it. I sighed.

"You're quieter than usual" Ryo-chan was pointing out the obvious. Ever since we finished cleaning up, no scratch that, ever since the "incident", if you would call that an incident, I haven't uttered a word other than "Yes", "No" or "Ah…" We were still in school, walking along the corridors. No one was there though. Most of the students were either at their respective homes already or were in their respective clubs.

"A-ah, is that so?" I giggled a half hearted giggle. "W-wow, I didn't really notice." That was obviously a lie. I was being quiet on purpose. Why? Well, give me a break! I was a bit confused! I mean, I had no idea why my heart was beating so fast, nor do I know why I feel so flustered right now. And well, I honestly didn't know what to say. The usual Miyuki-chan would be able to start a conversation with Ryo-chan in a flash, as for the Miyuki-chan right now, well, she was a bit nervous. Not the bad kind of nervous, more like, I-don't-know-what's-happening-and-don't-know-what-to-do nervous.

"Ah…"

Once again silence engulfed us. One, I couldn't talk. There was a little something that was stopping me. Two, Ryo-chan doesn't talk much. Bad combination. It's like, putting Kuni-chan and Ryo-chan in the same room. None of them are bound to talk.

We were now walking along the drive way. From afar, I heard someone bellow. "Mimi-chi! Ochibi!" It was none other than my "nii-chan", Kikumaru Eiji. He was waving all the way from the tennis courts. From the looks of things, it seems like they were still practicing. "N-neh Ryo-chan, let's go see how practice is going on." Ha. See that, I was able to say something decent to Ryo-chan. My heart was still thumping a bit but it was somewhat minimized, which was good! It would have been strange if I couldn't even talk to my best friend. I sighed.

* * *

I lay on my bed, thinking of what had happened earlier on. I just couldn't get it out of my mind; the events, the emotions that I felt. There was a little voice telling me that this had nothing to do with Inui-senpai's Inui juice. To put it simply, I wasn't convinced that the way I'm acting towards Ryo-chan was because I had some Inui juice. But, why do I feel this way? Why do I feel as though someone's tugging my heart?

* * *

**Finally, Miyuki is starting to notice her feelings towards Ryoma! Sadly, she can't tell what these feelings are :( What'll happen next?**

**Alright, well that's chapter 6. How was it? Well, letting me know is just a click away. Review Review :3 Reviews are loved and are always welcome :3**


	7. Truths Exposed

**Chapter 7 is finally up! Though, i kinda find this chapter a bit boring, IT'S KINDA CRUCIAL. SWEAR. It's the turning point thinger blah. You'll see once you read on?**

**Hope you guys don't get too bored, enjoy and continue reading this fanfic (squee) :D**

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* * *

  
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**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Seven: Truth Exposed**

Everyone was excited and was the day. The day we've all been waiting and have been preparing for has finally come. The preliminaries have finally arrived.

"Huwa! So much people !!" It was Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo, or the freshmen trio as what the other club members call them. They were inseparable! They were always together no matter what. At times, they may seem as though they aren't close friends, sometimes they look more like acquaintances who happen to be at the same place and at the same time, but really, they're close friends. They're best buds. The kind of friendship they have is pretty funny. Horio usually brags about his two years of tennis experience while the other two would tell him off, but that's the way they show their friendship I guess. I giggled. Probably like me and Ryo-chan. I just love to tease him while he likes to….piss me off? I sighed.

Well, it's often like that. Sometimes though, I get this feeling that there's something missing with our friendship….oh well. Probably lack of communication? I guess, I mean, Ryo-chan barely talks after all. Hmmmm. I started pondering on the matter when I was reminded of the kitchen incident. I blushed. No no no. Stop thinking about that already!! It's been a week. Stop. I sighed, seriously, when did I start talking to myself?

I looked around, we were all complete. Weird huh? Even Ryo-chan, who's usually late when it comes to things like these, meeting up somewhere, was actually early today. I bet he was excited. I giggled.

"Yosh! We're all signed in and ready to play!" Momo-senpai was excited as ever, heck, everyone was! Here, let me show you what everyone was doing. Let's start with…ah, Fuji-senpai. He was smiling, as usual, but as the manager and data collector of the team, I could tell that his smile was a bit wider and was a bit different than his normal one. He was giving of this Saa-this-is-going-to-be-interesting aura. I looked at the person beside him. It was Taka-san. He was really, well, quiet and jittery. He was pacing back and fourth. I bet if he were in his burning mode, he'd be REALLY fired up! I giggled at the thought. Oishi-senpai was known as the mother hen of Seigaku. And right now, he was playing the part. He was getting all fussed up. Why? Let's just say that Kaidoh-senpai and Momo-senpai started fighting again. I sighed. You know what? These two can't stand a day without fighting. But that makes everyday a bit interesting. Inui-senpai, on the other hand was browsing at his "magical" notebooks and was saying random data. I don't think he notices that no one was paying attention to him. Poor Inui-senpai. Lastly, it was Eiji-nii. I looked at Eiji-nii, he was as hyper as ever, well, I think he's a tad bit more hyper today. What about Kuni-chan and Ryo-chan? Well, Kuni-chan was as calm as ever, same as Ryo-chan. But I can tell that they were excited as well. How? Girl's intuition.

HOI HOI NYA!! Bui bui !!" He was jumping up and down while he was doing those victory signs of his. He loves doing that by the way. "WAH !! MIMI-CHI!! Today's the day !! I'm so excited!!" he glomped me. I guess he saw that I was looking at him. "Eiji-nii…Can't….Breathe!" I struggled. Once again, Eiji-nii decides to give me one of his bear hugs. "Ah! Gomen Mimi-chii!!" he loosened his hug a bit and started chuckling to himself. That's Eiji-nii for you! But honestly, I love Eiji-nii's hugs, they were really warm and genuine. I giggled. "It's okay"

* * *

This was it, it was about to start. Five minutes left before the match between Seigaku and Kojimachi begins. Curious about the line-ups? Alright, I'll tell you. So, for Doubles two, we have Taka-san and Fuji-senpai. For Doubles one, we have the golden pair, Eiji-nii and Oishi-senpai. For singles three, two and one, we have Ryo-chan, Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai respectively. Kuni-chan's sitting out of this match. I wonder why? Maybe he didn't want the other teams to gather data on him? Hmmm… that seemed illogical though. Almost everyone knows his moves already. So…why bother right? Ah well, it's none of my business after all. Kuni-chan's the captain, so I'm sure he knows what he's doing.

"The match between Seishun Gakuen nd Kojimachi Gakuen are about to begin. Will the members of the team enter the courts." It was the referee, he was right in the middle of the courts. Both teams followed and walked towards the courts, and bowed to each other, as a sign of respect. The referee then went to his seat, indicating that the match is about to start. **(A/N: I honestly don't know how tennis matches start so I just made stuff up….O.O)**

First up, doubles two, Taka-san and Fuji-senpai. They were already seating on the bench located inside the courts. Fuji-senpai seemed relax, but Taka-senpai was a bit fidgety…a bit… but I guess that has something to do with the fact that he isn't in his burning mode. Taka-senpai's a naturally shy, quiet, fidgety person. But once he's in his burning mode….

"GREAT-O!! WE'LL WIN THIS WITH MY BURNING BABY!!" I laughed nervously at Taka-senpai's burning outburst. Apparently, Fuji-senpai handed him his tennis racket. There's nothing wrong about that of course! It's just that…. It seems that A LOT of people were a bit shocked at Taka-senpai's quick change of personality, and were already staring. But oh well. Don't mind them. I'm sure they'll do great!

The match was beginning. It was our serve. "One set match, Kawamura-Fuji to serve."

Taka-san was on the base line, ready to serve. And as we all know, Taka-san was an EXTREMELY strong person. Hmm. I wonder if the other team will return the ball?

"BURNING!" Taka-san has served. The moment the other team's racket made contact with the tennis ball, his racket flew. Literally. And guess what? The area where the ball bounced off had a burnt mark on it. WOW. Either Taka-san's been training really hard or Inui-senpai's juice ACTUALLY works. Though, I think I'll go with the former explanation. Seems more…Logical.

"15-LOVE"

* * *

We ALL know how amazing the golden pair is. Even I'm still amazed at their play despite the fact that I've seen them practice more than a hundred times. It's just, their coordination and synchronization is just overwhelming. They're a really good match, they compensate for the weakness of the other. Whoever decided or chose this pairing, hands down to you.

"Hoi hoi!" Eiji-senpai was doing his acrobatic play. He's such a show off! I sighed. All the girls were screaming and well, Eiji0nii seems to like it. I know for a fact that Eiji-nii just LOVES attention, especially screaming fans in the middle of the game. It boosts his energy or something. Well, I guess we have something we don't agree on. I laughed. Though he should really learn how to conserve his energy, too much jumping and somersaulting can take away quite a large amount of energy. Good thing Oishi-senpai's there to cover for him. Oh wait here it comes. Oishi-senpai's moon volley! I know this because he would always drag his racket whenever he does this move.

"Five games to Two" Seigaku was leading. "Good job guys, just one more game! You can do it!" What? Moral support is also important you know! And besides, I'd rather do this than scream like a fan girl. I giggled, wondering what I'd sound or look like if I screamed like a fan girl.

* * *

"Game set and match, Seigaku, Six games to Love" Well that was fast. Ryo-chan finished his game in less than fifteen minutes. I guess he was THAT psyched. He was really serious from the beginning. Ryo-chan is a very talented tennis player, though I kinda agree with what Kuni-chan says about him. It's too much like his dad's tennis style. Kinda like a carbon copy. Hmmm. I'm guessing Kuni-chan'll probably do something about that. I mean, after all, he does talk about it right?

Nyar, Inui-senpai's gonna get mad at me for not collecting more data on this person. Yeah, Inui-senpai still wants me to collect data for him. I don't know where he went though. He kinda left before Ryo-chan's match and told me to take over his job which was, data collecting. Grr. Oh well, at least we won right? And that's what matters.

I handed Ryo-chan his towel and water bottle. "Congratulations Ryo-chan. Good job!"

"Uisu" That was all that he said. I couldn't tell if he was happy or was disappointed about the match. Hmm..

* * *

Momo-senpai's match was full of so much energy and enthusiasm. You can really see how Momo-senpai was having so much fun right now. I seem to have forgotten how great and strong a player Momo-senpai was. Momo-senpai is one tennis player that I really admired. He had passion, really strong passion. And, he was a really REALLY good tennis player. Though he still hasn't blossomed, I can tell that he is capable of doing so much.

"Don" Dunk smash. His opponent couldn't return the ball. That's Momo-senpai for you. Ever heard of the line "Don't judge a book by it's cover?" Well, if you judge Momo-senpai, you're dead. Momo-senpai jokes around a lot, but when it comes to tennis, he's ALWAYS serious.

"Thirty-Love"

"Lucky!" Momo-senpai gave a victor sign while grinning. I think he's been hanging around Eiji-nii way too much. I guess it's compensation for emptying Eiji-nii's wallet every day. I giggled. No, don't worry, I don't force Eiji-nii to treat me. For one, paying for both Momo-senpai and Ryo-chan was WAY too harsh for his wallet, I mean, have you seen those two eat? And two, Kuni-chan would get mad at me….

* * *

Things were looking pretty well. As usual, Kaidoh-senpai was tiring out his opponent with his snake shots. And well, it was working. I don't think that Kaidoh-senpai's opponent realizes this. As of the moment, he's just running from left to right to left again, and at the same time, hitting Kaidoh-senpai's snake shots, which were VERY hard to return. Though his opponent may be a strong player, he failed to notice Kaidoh-senpai's plan.

"Fshh" Kaidoh-senpai really does remind you of a snake, doesn't he. I mean, when he does that "fshh" thing of his of course. I beat if he could read my mind, he'd get really pissed off. I don't know why but it's only Momo-senpai who can aggravate Kaidoh-senpai so much. They have a weird rival friendship going on. Honestly, I find it adorable. They're like brothers who ALWAYS fight. I giggled.

Finally, Kaidoh-senpai got his match point. "Game set and match, Seigaku, six games to three"

"Good job Kaido-senpai!"

"Fshhh" I giggled again.

* * *

"Wow! We won! Next step, regionals!" I laughed. Yup we won, everyone won all of their games today. It wasn't easy though, there were difficult moments, but the team was able to surpass them. Though I'm not really part of the team, I'm still happy for their win.

"Of course we'd win! You think we'd actually settle on loosing?" Momo-senpai gave me his usual headlock and this time it came with a nuggie. I don't like this one bit. It hurts! It really does! "Wah! Momo-senpai, my head hurts!" I whined.

Momo-senpai was OBVIOUSLY enjoying himself, seeing that he was laughing really loud. Well, you all know what comes next right? Whenever Momo-senpai's too noisy, Kaidoh-senpai usually gets annoyed. He gets irritated at Momo-senpai really easily. Three…Two…One…

"Urusai, Baka" Right on cue and now here comes Momo-senpai with his comeback.

"What was that Mamushi?!" so right now, they were arguing, AGAIN.

"Ow ow ow!" Did I mention that I was still stuck in Momo-senpai's headlock? Yeah, Momo-senpai's kinda dragging me right now. "Momo-senpai!" and he chooses to ignore me. Yeah, he was too into his argument with Kaidoh-senpai. grr "Ouch!"

"Momo! Kaidoh! Stop arguing!!" And here comes, Oishi-senpai , the mother hen of Seigaku, to the rescue. He was trying to stop Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai's fracas while trying to pry me away from Momo-senpai's arms. "Momo, let go of Mimi-chan!" It was Eiji-nii, he was helping out too. At that, Momo-senpai let go of me. Well, more like dropped me since I kinda fell on the ground. But hey, at least w won't feel the tugs of Momo-senpai right? And besides Eiji-nii was there to help me up. Wow, we're really attracting a LOT of attention. I say this because a LOT of people were staring. Who could blame them, we were pretty noisy after all!

"Yo Miyuki-chan!!" I looked around as I heard me name being called. From afar, I could see some tall person waving. I squinted. It was Jun-san, a regular at Kojimachi gakuen. And beside him was Tsuyoshi-kun, a very very close friend of mine. I waved back and ran towards the two of them. I gave Tsuyoshi-kun a big hug. I guess It's something that comes natural I guess. Like how Eiji-nii says "Hoi" and "Nya" most of the time.

* * *

**RYOMA'S POV**

"Yo Miyuki-chan!" For some strange reason, because of that outburst, everyone stopped what they were doing. Even Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai, who were arguing yet again stopped. It seems like everyone was curious about the person who called out Miyuki-chan's name. I looked at the direction where Miyuki-chan was heading. There were two guys from Kojimachi Gakuen. I could tell from the other guy's uniform. He was pale, tall and had black hair. I think he was Momo-senpai's opponent earlier. There was also another guy. This one seemed like he was the same age as I am. He had messy brown hair, a bit thin too and a bit taller than me I guess. I mean he's a head tall than Miyuki-chan. I looked again. He was beside Miyuki-chan. Yup, a head tall, Miyuki-chan's only until my eyes. They're hugging now……Ah….I shrugged. That was uncalled for…..

"Hmm? Echizen? Are you jealous by any chance?" Momo-senpai was being…Momo-senpai as usual. He was snickering and nudging me at the same time. I guess he saw me shrug earlier. I sighed. I thought he was picking a fight with Kaidoh-senpai? "No" was all that I said, not averting my eyes on Miyuki-chan and brown hair. For some reason, I was feeling a bit upset. Che.

* * *

**TERASHIMA JUN'S POV**

I ruffled Miyuki-chan's hair. I really like doing that, especially when I annoy the hell out of people. That's probably one of the reasons I ruffle Sasahara's hair so much. It's because he gets really pissed off.

"Hey you two lovebirds, that's enough hugging." I winked at the two. I chuckled at their reactions. Miyuki-chan was hitting my arm, saying that she and Sasahara were nothing more than very close friends. It was hysterical! It was like watching a five year old hitting her dad for making fun of her. HAHAHA. As for Sasahara, well, he was as red as a tomato. He likes her, it was obvious. You can tell by the way he talks about her, yes, he DOES talk about her. I know it sounds weird coming from a guy but, it's kinda…adorable? Er…amusing. It's kinda amusing to see the youngest member or our club crushing on someone. Being in an all boy school, it's a bit rare to see someone crushing on a girl. We don't have girls after all. Damn, that kid found a cute girl before I did….

"Hahaha" I chucked. "Anyway, I'll leave you two LOVEBIRDS for now. I gotta go talk with the team. C'ya! " I chucked harder as I saw their faces when I emphasised the word "lovebirds", before I dashed away. I sighed. Young love.

* * *

**SASAHARA TSUYOSHI'S POV**

Okay, it's just Takishima and myself. Relax. My heart was thumping really fast and really loud. Okay, I admit, I have a huge crush on her. I've had a crush on her since elementary, ever since she pinched my cheeks till it hurt. We had a science project and we ended up as partners, the teacher chose our partners, so it was kinda by chance that we became partners.

It was after class and we were in the library. She was reading while I was just staring. I hated science, and, I still do. I was a rebel slash bully back then and well, I didn't want to do any work at all. So there I was, trying, forcing, more like scaring, Takishima to do all the work for me. And guess what she did? She pinched my cheeks all the way and said the strangest thing. "You look funny when you're mad. You should try smiling more, like this." It was the first time anyone has ever stood up to me, let alone inflict pain on me. No one really dared to get near me back then, they were all too afraid. But Takishima was different. She treated me as though I was a normal person. She wasn't scared of me. I will never forget that. I laughed really loud after she said that, swear. It was hilarious! I mean, it was a weird outburst for a situation like that. I really thought she'd get mad at me or start crying, she was the class "crybaby" at the time, but instead she told me to…smile…. Well, That's Takishima for you. From then on, we became close friends. Kinda strange huh? I never really thought that we'd be good friends.

The Seigaku regulars started approaching us. Maybe they needed Takishima for something? I guess, she is the team's manager after all. Hn. I still don't understand why Takishima's a manager of the tennis team instead of a player in the team. I really don't see Takishima as the manager type, I see her more as the playing type. Hmm…I wonder why she quit? She wouldn't quit without a reason right? I mean, she loves tennis after all.

* * *

**MOMO'S POV**

We were all a bit curious as to who Miyuki-chan was with. They seemed to know each other very well. Maybe a friend from elementary or something? Probably. Now that you mention it, we don't really know much about Miyuki-chan before she entered Seigaku.

"Mimi-chi!" Eiji-senpai gave Miyuki-chan his usual glomps. I think she was caught off guard though, she almost lost her balance. "Neh, Mimi-chi, aren't you going introduce us to your friend nya? We're a bit curious nya!" He chuckled.

I looked at Echizen and snickered. "Miyuki-chan! I think Echizen wants to know too!" I smirked at Echizen again. I think he's pissed at me right now. I laughed. Echizen was being Echizen. Whenever he's pissed off at someone, he'd give his usual glares before walking away. Luckily for me, I knew this habit of his, I think we all do, we all knew about Echizen's "walking away" habit, so before he could leave, I grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Neh, Echizen, where'd you think you're going?"

"Somewhere…" As usual, he gave those one word answers…

"Oh right." She giggled before continuing "Minna, this is Sasahara Tsuyoshi, he's a close friend of mine from Elementary. Tsuyoshi-kun, these are my friends. This is …" Miyuki-chan started introducing each one of us to Sasahara. Yeah, as you can see, I'm too lazy to mention every bit of detail. Bottom line is, we were introduced.

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

So there, now Tsuyoshi-kun knows everyone and everyone knows Tsuyoshi-kun. Introducing people is hard, especially if you're introducing seven people to one guy. Seven because, Tsuyoshi-kun already knows Kuni-chan. He went to my elementary school before for the cultural festival. I asked him to come, and well, he did. So yeah, I introduced them before and so now they know each other.

"Sasahara-san. Could you tell us about Takishima when she was in elementary? Perhaps about the clubs she joined, abilities, personality, habits, past relationships etc?" Inui-senpai had his pen and his notebook entitled "Takishima Miyuki Vol 1" with him. Why does he need data on me anyway? It's not like I actually play on the team right? Huwa. And since when did that notebook exist?

"I-Inui-senpai!" I whined. But sadly, I was ignored for the nth time. I sighed. Whatever, a little data gathering about me won't hurt right?

"Er…uh…" Tsuyoshi-kun was nervous. Who wouldn't be given the situation he was in? Everyone was staring at him. It was kinda weird…. "Uh. Well, Takishima's still the same person I guess. Bubbly, cheerful and stubborn. Uh, I'm not sure if she's still obsessed with it but she used to be obsessed with Mangas, her obsession for manga and tennis was probably on par. Come to think of it, I was really surprised to find out that she quit playing tennis. She loves tennis after all and was really good at it too. Takishima, why'd you- " And before Tsuyoshi-kun could finish what he was saying, I covered his mouth. It was hard okay, he was WAY taller than me after all. Okay, now the regulars were stating at us with a confused look. Oh, snap. I think they heard about the tennis part.

"Ahahaha. T-tsuyoshi-kun, don't flatter me! I suck in tennis " I laughed nervously. "H-hey, why don't I buy you something to drink. Okay? L-let's go…." And with that, I LITERALLY pulled Tsuyoshi-kun away from the regulars.

* * *

**MOMO'S POV**

We were all a bit confused. That kid just now. He said that Miyuki-chan quit tennis, that Miyuki-chan was really good at it. Hmm. Miyuki-chan told us that she doesn't play tennis. Actually, she told us that she doesn't play tennis because she sucks at it. So, who's telling the truth again? AAH! This is soo frustrating!

I looked around and saw everyone looking a bit confused as well. I bet we were all thinking about the same thing. Does Miyuki-chan play tennis?

* * *

**So, that's chapter 7. What do you guys think? REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :D **

**If you guys have any idea for the fic, just suggest stuff through reviews :D**


	8. Stalking Escapades

**Chapter 8 is up and hopefully you guys still enjoy/like the direction the fic. So yeah, thanks so much for the reviews and suggestions :3 Honestly, i had a really hard time writing this chapter. Swear! i had the idea but like, i didn't know how to show it? well, you get what i mean right? No...er... never mind :)))) don't mind me, it's 12:30 in the morning and i'm doing PHYSICS :)) **

**On to the chapter!**

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* * *

  
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**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Eight: Stalking Escapades **

"Wah! Why is Kuni-chan in such a bad mood today!?" Guess what happened today? Well, Kaidoh-senpai and Momo-senpai got into another fight. Something about that band called Jelly bean I think. Well, I'm not really sure…anyway! Usually, Kuni-chan would make the TWO of them run laps, but today, he made EVERYONE run laps. Yes, that includes me too. And you know what else? He didn't start with his usual ten laps. This time, he started with fifty. FIFTY LAPS! Something must have ticked him off for him to give such a cruel punishment.

We were now in our thirty eighth lap and most of the club members already collapsed, so the only people who were left running were the regulars, Inui-senpai and myself. I was panting. Boy, I'm starting to feel tired too. What do you expect? I'm kinda petite you know, I'm small for my age. I started to hear murmurs from behind. I looked back, I never noticed how far back the others were from me. Okay? Those guys were slower than usual, must be because there was no Inui juice involved. Hmmm. I think they're talking about something. I wonder what?

I slowed down a bit, just to get a glimpse of what they were talking about. Poo, I can't hear them. I guess I'll just have to ask…. "Neh, Senpai-tachi, what are you guys talking about?" They all stared at me for a while. It was pretty quiet. This was odd. You don't really find the words quiet and Seigaku regulars in the same sentence.

Taka-san was first to break the silence. "Ah a-anou. Miyuki-chan…." Before Taka-san could finish what he was saying, Inui-senpai cut in. And when I mean cut in, I meant, suddenly appear and pop out of the blue. Before, when he would do this, I would really freak out A LOT. But not anymore, I kind of got used to it. "It's nothing you should concern yourself about Takishima. It's a guy thing. You wouldn't understand."

I blinked. "O-oh…" You know what? I know this sounds VERY strange but, there are times wherein I wonder about how my life would be if I were a guy. I mean, how would I look like, how would I act, what would be my personality and blah. You get what I'm saying right? Actually, I really think that life as a guy would be much easier than life as a girl. But who knows. I mean, I don't really know the stress that guys experience. And besides, being a girl has its perks! I giggled at this thought and continued running. I guess I was too into my train of thought that I kinda sped up again. So right now, I was probably a few feet away from the others. I heard them murmuring again. They were probably talking about guy stuff again.

* * *

**MOMO'S POV**

We were all busy running laps. Actually, no. We were kinda talking about Miyuki-chan, so if you're wondering why we're kinda far from her and were slower than usual, that's your answer. What? Guys gossip too you know. Though we only do it when we're amongst guys. We don't really gossip around girls.

"So you think she really plays tennis?" I asked the others in a hushed tone. Yeah, this is what we were talking about. What that kid said really piqued our curiosity. It's been three days since that faithful day and we STILL can't get our minds off the topic.

Oishi-senpai was the first to respond. "Who knows? Sasahara-san said that she does but then Miyuki-chan said that she doesn't." he paused for a while, staring at Miyuki-chan. "Though she does seem like an athletic person. I mean, she can actually keep up with us. Even the other members couldn't." Oishi-senpai looked back at the other club members who were now lying on the ground. He was right I guess. Miyuki-chan probably has a background on some sport if she could keep up with us. Either that or she's just naturally full of energy.

"Well, what do you think nya? Mimi-chi never really talks about tennis. Inui! Do you have any data?" We all turned to Inui-senpai. Surely he would have a little information right? "As a matter of fact, I did find something. Apparently, she was captain of the girl's tennis team during elementary. She even led them to nationals last year. Though, they didn't win. Furthermore, she was known as prodigy, she's a net player. She has incredible stamina and speed and can mimic moves just by watching. She was actually featured in a few tennis magazines a while back. As to why she suddenly quit, I have no data on that."

Stare. We were all staring at Miyuki-chan. If she were THAT good in tennis why'd she quit? AND why'd she hide it from all of us?

* * *

We were now in the dressing room. Morning practice was over and class was about to start soon. "So why do you think she quit then?" I asked. Yes, we were still talking about it. Like I said, guys gossip too and we, the Seigaku regulars have this weird thing about butting into other people's lives. Weird huh? It's something that we all have in common.

"There's a twelve percent chance that she quit because of academic reasons, twenty two percent that she quit for family reasons, twenty five percent that she quit because of personal reasons and forty one percent that she quit due to health reasons…" We all stared at him. Inui-senpai was a step ahead of all of us. He already narrowed down the reasons.

"Ah." We all averted our eyes to Echizen. Seems like was going to say something important. This was his first time to talk about the subject matter. "She goes to Kanai General Hospital every Thursday afternoon. She has an appointment with some doctor…" Hmmm. How'd he know that? Even we don't know that. Come to think of it, Miyuki-chan does leave thirty minutes earlier every Thursday.

"Now that you mention it, Miyuki-chan does leave earlier on Thursdays right? Neh, Echizen, how'd you know about that?" I smirked at him. I just love bullying him. It's compensation for ALWAYS teasing me about Tachibana Ann. I met her a few weeks before preliminaries and saw her again when we had a match against Fudomine last Sunday.

He glared at me. "English class. I'm tutoring her in English , so I have her weekly schedules…" Wow. Nice one Echizen! Work on it slowly. Ah young love. Wait. I'm getting off track. Where were we again? Right. Miyuki-chan goes to the hospital every Thursday afternoon.

"Neh, Ochibi, any idea why Mimi-chi goes to the hospital?"

"Nope."

I noticed Inui-senpai writing stuff down in a notebook. I wonder what he's doing? He answered my question. What now? He can read minds too?! "I'm calculating the percentages of the reasons why Takishima quit tennis. Health reasons increased by thirty six percent. " Increased by thirty six percent. So, that means, chances of her quitting because of health reasons is….eighty seven percent. Wow, that's pretty high.

"Nya, I think we should follow Mimi-chi around to find out. Especially Tomorrow, she'll be going to the doctor then."

And once again, Oishi-senpai worries. "Eiji! That's rude. We should respect her privacy. She probably didn't want us to find out about her health condition. Oh no, what if it's something serious! What if…" and Oishi-senpai starts to drone away. We decided to ignore him and go with Eiji-senpai's plan.

"Agreed"

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

Ever felt as though someone was staring at you, watching your every move? Well, I feel it now. Right now, it was lunch time and Ryo-chan and I were heading towards the rooftop. We like eating there, though sometimes we also eat in the canteen. I don't know why but I feel as though there's someone watching us from behind. I swear! I have a big hunch that there's someone behind us but every time I look back, no one's there. Wait. I think I just saw a red blur. Hmm… it's probably just my imagination.

"What is it? You keep on looking back." Ryo-chan was speaking monotonously again. But that's him! He usually speaks in a bored manner.

I sighed. "Neh, Ryo-chan, do you feel like we're being followed?" For a split second, I noticed him stiff up a bit but then recomposed himself. "No, not really." I stared at him for a while. I guess he's right. I'm being way too paranoid. "You're probably right" I giggled. "Neh Ryo-chan, what if one of your fan girls were stalking you!" I giggled, trying to freak him out. He shrugged. I laughed at Ryo-chan's reactions. I think the only weaknesses Ryo-chan has would be his cat Karupin, Inui juice and his fan girls. Maybe Sakuno-chan too. It's pretty obvious that Sakuno-chan likes him, though Ryo-chan's just too dense to notice it. Poor Sakuno-chan.

* * *

It was eight o'clock in the evening and I was busy doing my English homework. Ryo-chan already explained most of the lesson yesterday. Oh, did I mention that Ryo-chan tutors me every Tuesday afternoon and Saturday morning. Yeah, those are the days when we're both free. We'd usually study in the library or in Kuni-chan's house. For some weird reason, Ryo-chan doesn't like the idea of having tutorials in his house. I wonder why though. Ah, whatever. I need to concentrate. Homework seems easy enough; I just have to translate these English sentences into Japanese. I hope I can manage.

I looked at the window and noticed something shiny. Like when you shine your flashlight on a window? Kinda like that. I wonder what it was. Oh well. I'm probably being paranoid again.

"**The little ugly duckling was feeling left out."** I read in English. Uh, what does that mean? The only words that I understood were little, ugly and out. So something little and ugly went out? Grr, I need my dictionary. Where is it? I scanned my room. Oh, there it is, up that shelf. I stood up from the small coffee table which was in the middle of my room and went towards the bookshelf. The dictionary was high up, way up. It was so high up that I had to tip toe and reach for the book. The pains of being short. I sighed.

"Just a little more… Aha, gotcha!" As soon as I grabbed the book, a sharp pain ran throughn my right shoulder, which caused me to drop the book. "OUCH!!" I screamed, clutching my shoulder as I did. Ouch. It really hurts! It didn't hurt like THIS before! "Ouch ouch ouch ouch!"

I heard three knocks on the door before it opened. "Miyuki-chan. Are you okay?" It was Kuni-chan. I guess he heard me screaming earlier, after all, his room was just across mine. He bent down as soon as he saw that I was in pain. "Where does it hurt?" The pain was too much that I didn't even hear what Kuni-chan was saying right now. Owie…

* * *

**INUI'S POV**

I needed more data. I needed it badly. So right now, I was in front of the Tezuka residence, looking at what Takishima was doing. Hmm, she's grabbing a book. She can't reach it… Well, she is short after all. Hmm? What's that? She looks like she's in pain. She's clutching her shoulder. A shoulder injury maybe? Probably. Shoulder injuries are very common to tennis players. We can't assume though. It could be just a pulled muscle, she was stretching her arm after all. Ah. It's Tezuka. He closed the window. Shoot.

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

My shoulder was feeling much better, but I still had to go to the doctor today. It was my weekly appointment, and I really CAN'T miss it. I sighed. I hated going to the hospital. I just don't like the place, it gives me the creeps.

I entered the tennis courts, it was time for afternoon practice. Okay, this was strange. Tennis practice was kinda... quiet, well the Regulars court was. That's one thing you don't see every day. Something was up, I could feel it. As weird as it sounds, I kinda wished it was a bit chaotic. It was fun that way.

"Miyuki-chan" Kuni-chan called. He was right behind me, walking towards the tennis courts. I think he came from Riyuzaki-sensei's office. Whenever he's missing from practice, you'd usually find him there. "How's your shoulder? You can skip practice if you want. You still have to go to the doctor right?"

I sighed, he's been asking me about my shoulder since this morning. Sure, I appreciate that he's concerned about me but... I don't know. I never really liked it when someone asks me about my shoulder. I guess I just don't like the idea of being a burden to someone. "Kuni-chan, I'm fine. I can manage. And besides, I still have two hours till my appointment. I'll leave thirty minutes before practice starts, like how I always do." I smiled half-heartedly. Like I said, I hated going to the doctor.

"Neh Kuni-chan, don't you find it weird that the regular's court is TOO quiet?" I asked out of the blue. I honestly found it weird. Out of all the courts, the regular's courts would always be the noisiest and the most chaotic. I wasn't used to this kind of ambiance during practice. "Ah.." was all that he said. I think Kuni-chan's happy though. I mean, he ALWAYS gets migraines during practice. He's probably happy about not getting a migraine today. I laughed at the thought.

* * *

**MOMO'S POV**

Normally, tennis practice would extend. Well, it was mainly our fault. We waste so much time talking that Buchou would give us extra laps. Today, we decided to be quiet. Why? One reason. We needed to follow Miyuki-chan to the hospital. We were all curious about why she quit tennis in the first place. This might be our chance to find the answers to our questions. Guess what? Our plan actually worked! We were dismissed right on time. So right now, we were looking for Miyuki-chan. Where could she be?

We were fast approaching Kanai General Hospital when we saw a familiar brunette walk out of the building. Darn, we were too late. She's done with her appointment. We were all disappointed.

"Mou! We didn't make it in time!" both Eiji-senpai and I were whining. We had a weird relationship. If Miyuki-chan's like Eiji-senpai's long lost sister, I'm probably Eiji-senpai's adopted little brother that was twice removed. I don't know. I just made that up right now.

"Saa, let's still follow her." Fuji-senpai's smile really gives me the creeps! I'm not the only one who thinks this right? I bet a weeks lunch money that at least five people from the team are freaked out by Fuji-senpai's smile. Either it has this I'm-planning-on-something-evil vibe or it has this I'm-thinking-of-ways-to-make-you-suffer vibe. Either way, it's both creepy. Hey, you know what else is scary?

"Let's follow Takishima. We might still get some data about her." That. That's scary. Try having Inui-senpai just randomly popping out of nowhere. Unlike Miyuki-chan, I'm not at all used to it. Not at all. Before anyone can protest, ahem Echizen, we continued to follow her. We had nothing else to do anyway.

"Neh neh, where do you think she's going? Home is that way." What Eiji-senpai was saying was in fact true. Home was the other way. Where exactly is she going? Was she even looking at where she was going? Her eyes seem to be fixed on the ground "Uh…maybe she's lost?" Bad idea. Bad idea to say that out loud cause right now, Oishi-senpai was worrying. And when I mean worry, I mean WORRY WORRY. Oishi-senpai was back to his worrywart self. I sighed.

"Oh no! What if Miyuki-chan IS lost! We can't really tell her where to go to cause she'll get suspicious of our agenda! What if…she gets really upset about us prying into her life? Oh no! What if-" Oishi-senpai was interrupted.

"Excuse me mister, can you please help me out?" Right in front of us was a cute little girl. She had long chocolate brown hair which was tied up in pigtails and had the biggest eyes you have EVER seen. So cute! She's like my little cousin! Hehe. I have this weakness for little kids. Who wouldn't? Especially if they have big eyes!

"Oh, sure. What can we help you with?" Taka-senpai was such a good guy. Really, he is. He's a super nice guy! Honestly speaking, I think he's the nicest person in the whole school. Well, that's my opinion anyway.

The little girl fidgeted at first but then started explaining the situation. "You see, I was taking a walk with my kitty when a dog started barking at us. And well…my kitty's all the way up there and she can't get down…" we all looked towards the direction the little girl was pointing at. True enough, there was a small white kitten that was way up in the tree. Awww, what a cute kitty. What is it with cats and getting stuck up a tree? Hey, I think I saw Mamushi smile for a bit. Does Mamushi have a soft spot for cute furry animals? I snickered.

"Hoi hoi! Leave it to us Chibi-chan! We'll get your kitty down!" And with that Eiji-senpai climbed up the tree, and was now trying to get the cat's attention. "Come here nya." Eiji-senpai seems to be good with animals. Maybe he learned a thing or two from staying in the pet shop for such a long time. He goes there at least twice a week! He seems to like it there. I think he really likes cute things. I looked at Eiji-senpai who was now on solid ground and was playing with the kitten. That is soo Eiji-senpai!

"JIKO!!" the little girl literally JUMPED for her kitty. Aww, so cute. "Thank you soo much nii-sama-tachi!" and with that, she left.

"Alright! Now, back to the original agenda. Follow Miyuki-" I stopped mid sentence. I looked around. "Uh…Where is Miyuki-chan?" seriously where did she go? She was just there a minute ago. I swear! We were all looking for her. Hmmm… where is she?

"Saa, I think she went that way…" we decided to follow Fuji-senpai's instincts. He was a tensai after all. And besides, I'm sure Fuji-senpai has a LOT of experience when it comes to doing this kind of thing, so he knows what he's doing.

True enough, Miyuki-chan was right over there, just a few streets away. Phew. I thought we really lost her. Okay, operation follow Miyuki-chan was back.

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

I was walking. Where was I going? Who knows. I was kinda lost, but I didn't really care. I just wanted to walk quietly you know? I just wanted to think about some things. So there I was, walking aimlessly when I heard a honking noise from my right. I looked up and saw a truck fast approaching. Shoot. What was I thinking? Crossing the street without looking? Stupid Miyuki-chan, Stupid! I tried to move, run, but my feet just wouldn't budge. As I stood there, trying to move, old memories ran through my head, memories of that very day, the day when I lost something very important to me. I shut my eyes, ready for the impact.

"MIYU!" I heard a scream.

The next thing I knew, I was on the side walk, sitting on someone's arms, staring at a pair of familiar silver eyes. "M-masa-chan" it was none other than my cousin, Niou Masaharu.

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**Alright, so Niou enters the picture. Anyway, that was chapter 8. How'd you guys find it? REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :3 Everything is welcomed (except flames, be constructive when you criticize please :3)**

**Hope you guys continue reading Heart Strings :D**

**kur-chan**


	9. Unravelling the Truth

**Okay, FINALLY chapter 9 is here ! Honestly. chapter 9 was just so mind boggling. I had to dig deep inside my brain and squish out all of those creative juices. Wah . Anyway, hope you guys enjoy :3 This chapter's pretty heavy though ._.**

****Note: I honestly think that some of the characters are OOC. especially Niou (I'm not that familiar with his attitude and personality .) and Momo O.O . (hopefully they aren't)**

* * *

**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Nine: Unravelling the Truth**

**NIOU'S POV**

We were at the park. I looked at my little cousin who was sitting on one of the benches; actually, she's more of a step cousin. When I was six, my father remarried, and well as you can guess he married Miyu's father's sister. So yeah, we're not blood related whatsoever. And no, I'm not in any way related to Tezuka in any way. Tezuka is Miyu's cousin from her mom's side. I am from the dad side. Anyway! I was walking with two ice cream cones in my hand. Ice cream was kinda her thing. Whenever she's down, she'd eat ice cream. It kinda brings up her mood. How can I tell that she's upset? She was almost run over by a truck and she's fidgeting so she's obviously feeling down, no duh Sherlock. And I know my cousin well enough that she tends to put the tip of her forefinger and her middle finger on her lower lip whenever she's upset about something, which she's doing right now. What can I say? I can use my analyzing skills off courts.

"Here, I know it's your favorite." I handed her her ice cream. She loves green tea ice cream. Sounds strange right? I mean, most kids, most GIRLS would prefer strawberry ice cream. She doesn't. In fact, she hates strawberries and loves green tea. Well, I guess she gets that from her cousin. They BOTH LOVE green tea ice cream, so I hear. "O-oh…Thanks Masa-chan…" she loves calling me that. I don't mind it though. I used to hate it, but not anymore. I've actually come to love that name.

I sat down on the bench. "Feeling any better?" she nodded as she continued on licking her ice cream. I stared. Whoa, her tongue's just too small! How will she ever fre- Uh…no, never mind. I don't even WANT to think about her doing that kind of thing. No matter how old she'll become, she'll always be my little cousin. Though, I wonder if she's had her first kiss… I gawked. For crying out loud, I sound like some over protective father!

"Masa-chan, thanks about earlier. You know what? While I was standing there, all of those memories of that incident came rushing through my head. I guess I'm still psychologically stuck in the past huh?" she sighed "Sorry for the trouble…." She looked down.

"Come on, It's not your fault! I wasn't going to let a truck run all over my cute little cousin, got that?" I pinched her cheek. She nodded; her mood seems to have lightened up a bit, seeing as she's giggling a bit. "Sooo… what are you doing in this neck of the woods? Doctor's appointment?"

"Er…yeah." She sighed. How many times has she sighed within the past twenty minutes? Too much to count, that's how much.

"You really hate going to the hospital don't you?" I chuckled jokingly. This was somewhat that we both share. Well, she hates going to the doctor for a probably deeper reason. I just don't like going to the hospital cause it's so damn boring. Well, that seemed to lighten up her mood…a bit….

"Masa-chan!" she whined. "Hey, don't make fun of me! I just find hospitals creep, that's all." She pouted then started giggling a bit. "Now that's my Miyu. Remember, always smile, got that?" I pinched her cheeks and pulled it up, so right now she looked like she was smiling. "Anyway, how was the check up?"

She laughed nervously. "Well…the doctor said that my shoulder kinda got worse. She says that I've been putting too much strain on it." She pouted before mumbling something so soft. Luckily, I had good hearing and heard what she said. Here's what she said. "It was just one game, poo…"

"Wait. Hold up, one game? You played tennis?! You're not allowed to play!" I sighed. "Jeez, you're just as stubborn as I am, and we're not even blood related. You should do what your doctor tells you, it's for your own good after all." I paused for a while, deep in thought. What would I do if I had the same problem as her? What if I were in her position right now? "I don't blame you for playing though. If I were in your position, I would have gone berserk. No tennis? That would suck." I looked at her from the corner of my eye, snap, I think I pulled a nerve or something. She's upset again. How insensitive could I be? There she was, enduring months without playing the sport that she loved and here I am talking how much my life would suck if I couldn't play tennis. I ran my hand through me hair. STUPID. "S-sorry…"

"M-mm" she shook her head, she looked really serious right now. "You're right. A life without tennis really sucks. I hate it. I hate this. I hate not being able to play tennis. I miss the thrill, the excitement, the fun!" she laughed half heartedly. It was obvious that she was upset. How did I know? One, the tone of her voice and two, she was tearing up, tears were threatening to fall down from the corner of her eyes. It doesn't take a detective to sum those two "evidences" together and "solve the case." I placed a hand on one side of her face and wiped away the tear that trickled from her eyes down to her cheek. She seemed surprised. I guess she never noticed the tears that were forming at the corners of her eyes. She wiped the tears with the sleeves of her aqua green uniform. I could tell that she was trying hard NOT to cry. She was like that. We all know she cries a lot, when she was seven, we were watching something on the animal channel when she suddenly cried. She was upset because the lion ate the "mommy gazelle." Anyway, back to my point. Yes she cries a lot, but she hates it when she cries over something so serious. She hates opening up. She just bottles every bad emotion and keeps it inside. I sighed.

I hugged her tightly, trying my best to comfort her, after all, t was kinda my fault that she was crying right now. Jeez, I have a weakness for my little cousin, no seriously, I do. "Go ahead. Cry, it's not good to keep those emotions bottled up. Cry and shout whatever it is you're feeling. Trust me, you'll feel so much better." So I hear. Well, that's what I heard from Yagyuu anyway. He was giving me a lecture about girls and how they behave a few days back. Why? I had no idea. At least I can put his lecture to good use.

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

My cousin was hugging me. From the time I've met him, he has never shown this side. He was a prankster, a trickster, I never expected this from him. Even as a kid, whenever I cried, he'd just make fun of me more! Seriously! Then again, even though he would make fun of me, it would ALWAYS make my mood lighter. He can crack up really good jokes at the right time. But, this Masa-chan right now, he wasn't cracking up jokes. Instead, he was giving me a comforting hug. I guess, I'm just not used to this side of him. I never even knew that he HAD this side to him. Talk about not knowing a person! I sobbed harder. Is it just me or does hugs make you feel more emotional? What is it with hugs that make you want to just…tear up and cry more? "I-I'm scared…what if my shoulder never heals and I can never play tennis?" I sobbed "I'm such an…idiot. I shouldn't cry about this…"

He looked at my in the eyes, hands cupping my face. "Hey, don't call yourself an idiot for crying. It natural. Got that?" I nodded as I smiled, he was right, I kind felt a bit better. Being a trickster had its perks I guess, I mean, he can really cheer up a really depressed person. Right now, I was that depressed person. Though, I still had thoughts about not being able to play tennis anymore. I love tennis. REALLY LOVE TENNIS. Six months without tennis has been…disheartening. What more is a life without tennis? I don't think I'd survive such a tragedy.

* * *

**MOMO'S POV**

We were right behind the two, hiding behind a very very large tree. So she has a shoulder injury huh? I guess that's why she can't play tennis, though, how could she have gotten such a serious injury to the point that she actually quit tennis? Looking at her right now, seeing her breaking down like that, seeing her in this state, I kinda feel guilty about eves dropping on their conversation. I mean, she probably didn't want anyone to find out right? She was hiding it for a reason.

I could feel someone breathing down my back. That was weird. And, it felt rally uncomfortable! You try and experience it! "Echizen, stop that. It's uncomfortable." I whispered, he was the only one back there anyway, Almost all of the regulars were in front of me, watching intently.

"Stop what Momo-senpai?" I look beside me and saw Echizen. Uh…okay? So, If Echizen's right beside me and everyone else was over there, then who's-? I turned around and came face to face with a really REALLY big Golden Retriever. I love dogs, but, this one was just way too big! AND It was barking! What if Miyuki-chan saw us? What would she think? Wait. I sound just like Oishi-senpai right now… The others looked back, they were looking at the gigantic dog. You can tell that they were nervous about the dog being there. Not that they're afraid of dogs, it's just that, well, the dog might blow our cover.

"Shoo, away." We tried to make the dog leave, well, it was mostly me and Eiji-senpai who were doing it. Everyone else, well most of them that is, were praying that Miyuki-chan wouldn't notice the barking dog. Well that didn't work. Instead, the dog started barking louder and well, it kinda bit the sleeve of my pants and started pulling me away from the tree and dragging me into the open. Jeez. The dog was super strong okay? Talk about bad luck! I hope Miyuki-chan and that Niou won't see me.

"M-momo-senpai?" Uh, never mind. I laughed nervously as I saw Miyuki-chan's surprised face. "H-hi Miyuki-chan, N-niou."

* * *

**OISHI'S POV**

"GOMEN. It was rude of us to listen in on your conversation." I bowed, motioning the others to bow as well, which they did. They were also embarrassed about they're actions. No one expected to hear something so…heavy. We didn't expect to hear that much. We didn't really think that Miyuki-chan was experiencing such a thing. She's always so cheerful and bubbly!

She seemed nervous. She was playing around with the pleats of her skirt, something that she doesn't do. "I-it's alright, Oishi-senpai. Senpai-tachi….D-did you hear everything?" we all nodded hesitantly. It was quiet, really quiet. Not that I'm complaining, it's just…really awkward, you know? This kind of silence is probably something that you could call as "deafening silence." No one in their right mind would want this kind of silence. It was just…too weird.

"Soo…" Momo was the first to break the silence, we all looked at him, wondering what he was going to say. "W-What happened with that shoulder anyway?" I gawked. Of all the things to say, he just had to ask that! How could he ask such a question? Miyuki-chan might get upset again and break down! Not that crying is a bad thing but, she was probably trying to avoid topic. "M-Momo!" I scolded him.

"Baka!" Kaidoh just hit Momo's head. Oh no, not another fight. Not right now, not with this heavy atmosphere! To tell you the truth, the atmosphere literally felt heavy. Not just because of what we heard, I guess in a way it had something to do with all this silence, but I could also feel a bit of tension lingering in the air. I wonder where that's coming from? "What was that Mamushi?!" And there they go again. They never get tired of fighting do they? I better stop them before they hurt each other. I sighed, trying to break the too off, something that most of us are accustomed to. Good thing Taka-san was there to help me. Eiji and Inui were NOT doing a pretty good job at keeping the two off each other. Eiji was…cheering them on and Inui was…collecting data. What were the other doing? They're just ignoring everything. "Oi oi! Calm down you two" Once again, I was ignored. I sighed.

"It… came from a car accident…" It was quiet again. We all heard what Miyuki-chan had said. Wow, they stopped fighting.

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

It seemed like the right thing to do, telling them the reason that is. Like I said before, I can't run away forever. Sooner or later, I'm sure they'll find out. Like how they found out about my shoulder injury. So, might as well tell them right? Yeah, I guess so.

"When I first came to Tokyo, I asked Kuni-chan to take me around the city since, which he did... " I trailed on recalling what had happened that day. It was very clear, as clear as the day.

"_This was fun, wasn't it Kuni-chan." I grinned like a little girl who just saw Santa Claus leaving a bunch of gifts under the Christmas tree. I really like Tokyo. Yes, it was a busy district but some parts of Tokyo felt really homey. It felt warm. And besides, I get to spend time with my favorite cousin Kuni-chan. What more can I ask? _

"_Ah..." as usual he just gave his usual one word answers. I sighed. I swear, one day, I'm going to make Kuni-chan talk for one whole day. I giggled at the thought, causing Kuni-chan to look at me. "It's nothing." I giggled again. He seems to have ignored it. Good._

_I was holding on to one of Kuni-chan's sleeve. Kinda like how a daughter would hold the sleeve of her dad whenever she's scared. I'm not scared though, just really amazed at the whole scenery. There were so many beautiful Sakuras! True, there are Sakuras in Kanagawa, but there are a lot of them here, much more than in Kanagawa. We continued on walking, towards where? Who knows? We were walking aimlessly. Kuni-chan seems to be at a loss. I guess he doesn't really know where to take me._

_I was looking around, from left to right, up and down, when I spotted this little boy playing with this ball in the middle of the road. Goodness, that's dangerous! What if a car comes by?! Where is his mother?! I sighed. When I get a kid, I'm NEVER going to leave him, yes I want a baby boy, all by himself. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a loud honking sound. I looked at the direction of the honking sound. There was a car. On the road. On the same road that the littly boy was on. The little boy wasn't moving. Oh crud. On instinct, I let go of Kuni-chan. Kuni-chan seems to have an idea of what I was about to do, I heard him yell something but chose to ignore it. I ran towards the little boy and pushed him away from the fast approaching car, falling on the floor as I did. _

"The little boy was safe of course. And yeah, I guess you guys can already guess what happened to me he he…." I laughed nervously? Awkwardly? Sadly? I dunno. I was just full of so much overwhelming emotions, emotions that I can't even comprehend. Ah shoot, here comes the water works. I just HATE the fact that I'm so vulnerable to tears! It's something that both my mom and I have in common. I wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall. I shook my head and gently slapped both of my cheeks, kinda like the way I slap them whenever I was getting sleepy in class. I smiled "It's okay though, I'll be able to play tennis again as soon as my shoulder heals." And when that day comes, I'll definitely, definitely play to my heart's content. I smiled. I hope that day would really come…

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**Uh, yeah. That was chapter 9 ._. What do you think? Well, i really hope you guys enjoyed it:D :D :D**

** PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW :3 It's jist one click away! I would really appreciate it :D**

**kur-chan**


	10. Babies, Parenting and Love?

**Hey there! First of all i'd like to apologize for the very late i didn't leave any of you hanging, that is, IF you're still tuning in, which i hope you are :3 I've been really busy with so much school stuff (midterms just finished :3)**

**HOMG, i've finally reached a two digit chapter number! Hahahaha. Anyway, moving on... among all of the chapters, i think this one's the least heavy one. Well, in my opinion that is. So enough chit chat. Here's chapter ten and i hope you enjoy.**

* * *

**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Ten: Babies, parenting and love?**

I felt really really good today. I don't know why but something in my gut was telling me that today was going to be so fun! It's not even six o'clock and I was already awake. I usually wake up at six twenty. Oh yeah, remember how I was always in school at six in the morning cause Kuni-chan was always an hour early for practice? Well and now he arrives on time. Not too early and not too late. Good huh? Well, actually he just decided it on his own. Apparently Riyuzaki-sensei said that he was practicing too much. Anyway. So it as now seven o'clock sharp and I was already finished preparing for school. All I need to do is eat breakfast. This is something you DON'T usually see. Here's the normal routine of the day. Its six o'clock in the morning, my alarm clock is ringing and I'm fast asleep in bed. What do I do? I turn off my alarm clock and then I go back to sleep. After a few minutes, Kuni-chan tries to wake me up. How does he do it? Either he pulls off my blanket, shakes me awake or threatens me with laps. Usually, he'd threaten me with laps. Like I said, Kuni-chan needs a better hobby. So this explains why Kuni-chan was a bit surprised when he saw me wide and awake this morning. I didn't wake up before Kuni-chan but I actually woke up on my own! I think that was what caught Kuni-chan off guard.

"You're up early today." Kuni-chan was already seated and eating breakfast when I entered the dining room, humming this song I heard on the radio yesterday. I don't really know the name of the song but it had a catchy tune. I think it was Honto Wa Ne or something.

I smiled as I ate my cereal. "M-hm. I don't know why, but I'm in such a good mood today." I giggled. "Neh Kuni-chan, do you ever get those feelings? Like, you know, when you feel like something good is gonna happen?" I was really curious. I wonder if he did feel things like those. I'm sure he has! I mean once in a while a person would feel this right? Or at least be unreasonably happy right?

I waited patiently for his answer. He wasn't talking. Uh…okay? Maybe I'll just stare at him till he answers. This usually works. USUALLY, it doesn't always work but once in a while it does. "Sometimes…" Yay! It worked. I giggled. I wonder what Kuni-chan does on days like those? I mean, look at me! I'm extremely happy and right now I'm hyper. Does Kuni-chan even get hyper? Mah who knows? I maybe his cousin and I can probably tell how he's felling better than anyone in school, but there are things that I just can't decipher.

As soon as we were both done, we were out of the house. Whoa, is it always this cold in the morning? I stretched my arms and started skipping. I turned around and saw Kuni-chan walking behind. I started walking backwards. "Wah! I feel really good today! I don't think anything can ruin my mood!" I giggled.

"Miyuki-chan. Walk properly, you might trip." Even Kuni-chan's lectures can't ruin my mood. I giggled and followed his instructions. He raised an eyebrow for a brief second. I guess he found it strange that I didn't whine like I always do. I continued humming until I saw a familiar figure.

"EIJI-NII!!!" I waved like crazy, using my left arm of course. If I did that with my right arm, I'd probably hurt my shoulder. After seeing him turn around and smile at me, I quickly ran towards him and gave him a big hug. "Ohio!" I was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Like Kuni-chan, he was also caught off guard. In the morning, I'm usually half awake, and whenever Eiji-nii passes by, I don't notice it. Not until he gives me his bear hug. Today, it was the other way around. Of course, not including Eiji-nii being half awake. "Nya, you're in a good mood today Mimi-chi! And you're actually awake!" He chuckled. Yup like I said, I was usually half awake in the morning. When it comes to sleep, I'm a glutton. "Yup yup! I woke up this morning and I was just so happy!" I giggled again.

"Ah, Ohio Tezuka!" Eiji-nii greeted Kuni-chan, who was not beside us. Kuni-chan jus nodded and said an "Ohio" back. "Come on, let's go to school now!" I giggled again before holding Kuni-chan's hand with my left hand and holding Eiji-nii's hand with my right hand and swaying it. Not too hard of course. I started humming that song again, which Eiji-nii recognised. The whole trip to school was all about this song. We were just trying hard to find out the title.

* * *

Tennis practice was already starting and everyone was running laps. Well, actually, it was just the regulars left. Everyone else had collapsed either because of the exhaustion or because of the Inui juice. It was almost the final lap and Inui-senpai just brought out his new concoction. "Golden Power Remix Juice", that was what it was called. It didn't look as horrifying as the last one. By the way, the last one was bubbling. This one was just this transparent light brown drink which smelled really bad.

"Inui-senpai? One minute again? Or last one?"

"Both." He grinned. Whoa. Isn't that too harsh? Oh well, when it comes to Inui-juice, he's the boss. Might as well follow his orders or I might end up dying due to Inui-juice. I wasn't going to let Inui-juice destroy my day now was I? "Okay then…"

They were now starting their final lap. That was my cue. "Minna! Whoever is last or doesn't finish the lap in a minute get's to drink a pitcher of Inui-senpai's special juice!" I shouted in a very playful tone. With that, they dashed across the tennis courts. Where'd they get all that energy? Sugoi, they're really amazing.

I turned around and noticed Inui-senpai writing down something in his note book. He was mumbling something. I think it was along the lines of "Takishima called my juice special." Hmmm. Come to think of it, I never really called it special prior to today event. Oh well. I giggled.

* * *

**MOMO'S POV**

"Hey, is it just me or does Miyuki-chan seem happier than normal?" I was waiting for a response but no one answered. Okay? I looked to my left, to my right and behind me. No one was there. Then it hit me. They went ahead didn't they? I looked forward and saw ALL of them running ahead of me. Ah crap! I'm way behind. "AAH!! NO FAIR!! I WAS ASKING A QUESTION!!"

"GOMEN MOMO!! I DON'T WANT TO DRINK THAT JUICE!!" I heard Eiji-senpai screaming from afar. I better catch up! I started running faster. What? I do NOT want to taste Inui-senpai's juice. Who in the right mind would? Well, Fuji-senpai might BUT that's because he actually likes them.

After seconds of running as though my life depended on it, which was a bit true, I finally caught up with everyone and guess what? We all arrived at the finish line at the same time. Good thing too! I was lying on the ground. I NEVER want to do that again. I almost had a heart attack! I took a deep breath then smelled something... something awful. "What's that smell?" I sat up and saw Miyuki-chan pouring some Inui-juice into little glasses of water. Uh…What is she doing? Uh-oh, I have a bad feeling about this…

"Gomen Minna, Seems like you exceeded the time limit. See?" Miyuki-chan giggled as she showed us the stop watch. It read "00:01:01:35." Are you kidding? She's giving us Inui juice because we were late by a second? No way!

"You guys are pretty lucky you know, Inui-senpai doesn't have as much ingredients for this juice so you only get one cup each!" she giggled again. We all whined, except for Tezuka-Buchou and Fuji-senpai of course. "N-neh Miyuki-chan, can't you cut us some slack? It was just a second. Please?" I gave her my best puppy dog pout.

"Gomen, but Inui-senpai specifically told me that you have to drink it, unless you all want to drink a pitcher of the new drink that Inui-senpai is making right now. Come on, drink up!" she gave everyone a cup which they drank out of fear. Screams erupted from the Seigaku tennis court. This was NOT my day.

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

It was home economics and class was the same, boring as usual. Right now, the lights were dimmed, and we were watching this video about, good parenting and family planning and all that. Uh…aren't we a little bit too young for this? We're only twelve years old after all! I yawned. This was really boring okay? I looked to my left and saw Ryo-chan half asleep. His arms were on the table and his head was resting on them. His eyes were…closed. Okay, maybe he was REALLY asleep. Oh, I think the teacher can see him. I gently kicked Ryo-chan's shin. That worked, he's awake now….ish. He was groggy, but awake nonetheless.

"Sensei's staring at you…" I whispered. He looked at the teacher and true enough, she was staring at him. "Arigato…." He whispered back.

The teacher turned the lights back on. "Alright class, first of all, I'd like you all to pair up. One girl and one boy. Go sit beside your partner now. Quickly. Don't worry, it has nothing to do with cooking or baking." Well, that was good, at least I can pair up with Ryo-chan without creating a big mess right? Hmm, I hope he doesn't mind being my partner. Might as well ask. "Neh, Ryo-chan, be my partner?" I asked, looking at my right since he was my seatmate after all.

"Uisu" he scooted his seat next to mine

"Okay, since we had a lesson about good parenting, we'll all experience how to be good parents. Within the next two weeks, you will be taking care of these…." Out of nowhere, she pulled out a basket full of ..eggs… Hmm. Where'd the basket come from? And more importantly, how'd she manage to bring that much eggs in class without me noticing? Was I THAT caught up in my own world to notice?

A hand was raised. "Sensei… we're going to take care of eggs?" My classmate seemed unsure. Well, I guess the idea of taking care of an egg seemed absurd to us. I mean, why do we need to take care of an egg right, it's not even alive….

"Let me finish. These eggs will serve as your babies for the next two weeks. And you, will be their parents. All you have to do is make sure that the egg is safe and doesn't crack and that you treat it as though it was a real baby. Any questions?"

Hands were raised and the teacher started calling on some students to raise their questions.

Question number one, it was from the class clown, his name was Yamada Naoki. "Sensei, how will you know if someone cheats? What if the egg breaks and someone just replaces it with a new one?"

The teacher got one egg from her basket. "See this?" she pointed to the bottom part of the egg. It had her signature on it. "Unless one of you can forge my signature on this egg, then there's no way of replacing it."

Question number two. "Sensei, what are your bases for the grade?"

Answer to question number two. "One would be the condition of the egg after two weeks, and, a scrapbook. After the two weeks, each pair will be submitting a scrapbook. You can put anything you want, family pictures, baby pictures, baby's first and what not. Any other questions?"

Last but not the least, we have question number three. Well, her hand was the only one raised. "Sensei, are we allowed to draw faces on the eggs?"

The teacher smiled. "By all means! Actually, it would be better if you did. Any more questions?" Nope none. "Alright then, for the remaining period, you'll be thinking of the name and gender of your baby, which you'll be submitting on a small piece of paper. Once you're done, just get one egg from the basket and you may leave."

"Okay so…name of the baby and gender. Uh, Ryo-chan, do you want a girl or a boy? " I've never really thought about things like this. Come to think of it I never really imagined myself as a parent. I wonder what kind of parent I would be?

"I don't really mind if it's a boy or a girl. What about you?" he doesn't seem to be into the project. Of course he's not! It's Ryo-chan! I bet if the baby was a tennis ball instead, he'd probably be more interested. I giggled at the thought. Ryo-chan taking care of a tennis ball. That's funny. He might end up using the ball and hitting it with his racket. Poor baby tennis ball…

"Hmm. I think… I want a baby boy. Is that okay with you?" he nodded, meaning, he was okay with having a baby boy rather than a baby girl. I thought most dads wanted baby girls? Well, Ryo-chan isn't a real dad anyway, he's still a kid! Uh, preteen… He's still a preteen. "Neh, I don't really know what name to give him…Any suggestions Ryo-chan?"

"Uh… Let's make his first name start with the letter R…" there was a pause. "What about Riku?" he looked away, cheeks turning pink. Aww, Ryo-chan's embarrassed! This is something you DON'T see every day. A flushed Echizen Ryoma. I giggled.

"Echizen Riku… I like it. It's kinda cute." I smiled, writing down our names and the name of the baby. "Hey Ryo-chan, look, you have the same initials." I giggled as I saw his cheeks turn a shade of pink again.

* * *

It was lunch time and we were in the rooftop. We were eating, well, Ryo-chan was. What was I doing? I was busy drawing the face of our "baby egg." What? I want the baby to have a cute face. Actually, I was just drawing two dots and a small curved line. That was it. But, I'm not really a good drawer, and I'm kinda afraid that it might not turn out so well, so there. I was being extra careful.

"Mmm. There!" I was finished drawing the face. "Look Ryo-chan! He's so cute!"

He blinked, I guess my outburst kinda surprised him a bit. "A..ah…it took you twenty minutes to draw two dots and a curved line?" he smirked.

I fake pouted. I ALWAYS do this when I try to joke with him, though it never works. I guess it's a habit of mine to do it despite the fact that it NEVER works. "Mou, you're such a meanie Ryo-chan!"

He chuckled. "You're really into this project aren't you?" I blinked and just stared at him. You know what, I think I am.

I nodded. "I guess? I don't know." I laughed. "It's just that, I've never really taken care of anything other than myself before. I never really had a pet or a little brother to take care of. So I'm really excited! It's like having your very own pet" I smiled.

"You mean baby…." Ryo-chan corrected me. It wasn't pet egg project after all, it was baby egg project. I laughed. I was about to put Riku down and eat my lunch when I realized…where was I going to put him? I couldn't just put him on the floor, what if he rolls away? During science class earlier, I was holding Riku the whole time, but now…I kinda need to eat. And I can't use one hand like when you take down notes. Uh oh… "Uh…Ryo-chan…Where do we put Riku?"

He was looking around, trying to find something to put Riku in. He was really trying hard to find a place to put Riku in. He then saw his empty fruit cup. "What about this?" he handed me the empty fruit cup.

"Thanks Ryo-chan" I smiled as I took the fruit cup from him and started wiping the syrup off the cup with a tissue. Suddenly, Ryo-chan took Riku and stared at him for a bit. He smirked, before grabbing the marker. "Neh, do you mind if I add something?"

I blinked as I continued to wipe the fruit cup clean. "Nope, go ahead."

I looked at what he was doing. Well, tried. Ryo-chan was hiding Riku from me. What was he drawing? "Ryo-chan let me see!"

"Yadda! I'll show you later!"

"Just show me now!!"

"I'll show you later! Let me finish first!"

"I wanna see! WAH!" Clumsy me, I slipped. "Ouch. Ah! How's Riku!?" Upon looking up, the first thing I saw were two golden orbs. Really beautiful golden orbs. I stared at Ryo-chan as he stared at me. I felt my heart beating louder and louder with every second that passed. I felt my heart thumping faster and faster as I stared into his captivating eyes. I've always loved his eyes, even before the incident in the kitchen. It was full of so much passion, and authenticity. He was a passionate and genuine person. Under that impassive, cold and uninterested facade was a caring, sweet and thoughtful person. As I said before, he was that perfect guy that every other girl was chasing. I didn't realise the awkward position we were in until...

"Ahem…" we heard a cough. Upon looking up we saw a shocked Oishi-senpai and a surprised Eiji-nii. Why wouldn't they, look at the position we were in. How were we positioned? Well, Ryo-chan was half lying down, elbows supporting his weight, back upright, and well, I was leaning in front of him, my face barely touching his. My cheeks turned red before quickly recomposing myself, sitting on my calves, right beside him.

"H-how's Riku…" I asked, not making eye contact. Not to Ryo-chan, not to Oishi-senpai, not to Eiji-nii. I was staring at the ground.

"H-he's fine….."

* * *

It was eight in the evening and I was trying to do my home work. Trying because… I couldn't concentrate at all. I tapped my pencil on the desk and stared out the window, gazing at the moon, recalling the events that had happened in the rooftop. As I did, my cheeks were getting warm and started turning red. I smiled. You know what? My hunch this morning was right. Something really good did happen today. Not only did I get to see the regulars drink Inui juice, not only did I see a side of Ryo-chan that I barely see. I finally realized that….to me, Ryo-chan was much more than my best friend…

I looked at Riku who was right in front of me. He had hair now, Ryo-chan drew some on Riku earlier, so now, they both have the same hair. I smiled. "Riku, your okaasan's in love…."

* * *

**So what'd you guys think? Too fast? Please please please review. Suggestions, comments and constructive criticisms are welcomed. So please do review and help make this chapter better. :3**

**With love,**

**kur-chan.**


	11. Just your Usual, Not so Ordinary Day

**Hey guys, Kur-chan again, i apologize for the late update. So much things happened in the past week. Long exams, oral presentations, practical tests and paper works are just a gist of them. Anyway, here's chapter eleven, Hope you guys enjoy :D**

**To those who continue to read, review, subscribe and the like, i really appreciate it. I honestly do. THANK YOU GUYS SO SO MUCH 3**

* * *

**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Eleven: Just your Usual, Not so Ordinary Day**

_Beep Beep Beep_

I was asleep. Well, not anymore, thanks to the alarm clock. I opened one of my eyes and tried to reach for my alarm clock. Keyword here is TRIED. Obviously, I was failing. With only one eye open, it was hard. And besides, my arm was being lazy. Grr I want that alarm clock off NOW. It was just too noisy and I was REALLY tired. Last night, I kept on thinking about..THAT. I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that I, Takishima Miyuki, actually fell in love my best friend, Echizen Ryoma. It was just….so absurd. He IS my best friend after all.

_Beep Bee-_ Yes, I FINALLY got the alarm clock to shot up. What? It was a weekend and I DESERVED to GET SOME SLEEP.

Suddenly, I heard the door creak open..."Miyuki-chan, wake up." I felt a light shake on my shoulder. Saturday mornings were meant for over sleeping. Saturday mornings were meant for eating cereals on the couch while watching cartoons in your pyjamas. So what was Kuni-chan doing, trying to wake me up at eight o'clock in the morning?

I sighed. "Go away, Kuni-chan. I'm sleepy…." I said, more like murmured, as I hid my head under my pillow.

I heard Kuni-chan sigh. "Miyuki-chan. Echizen's here. He's waiting downstairs. " I groaned. What do I care if Ryo-chan's here? Wait a minute. There were two things that were wrong with that sentence. One, why was Ryo-chan doing downstairs? And two, WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?! I quickly jolted up I jolted and hit my forehead with my palm. Shoot, I forgot, he was going to help me with my English today. We discussed this a few days back. I quickly grabbed my clothes and ran to the bathroom to change.

* * *

**RYOMA'S POV**

I was waiting patiently downstairs when I heard a slam from the door followed by other strange noises. Hmm, it sounds like she's having a war up there. Are girls really like that? Even my cousin's like that when she dresses up for a special occasion or whenever she's late for an appointment. Girls are so strange and complex.

Tezuka-buchou had descended from the stairs looking a bit stressed. "Echizen, Miyuki-chan will be down in a while. She over slept."

"Ah…" I never thought of Miyuki-chan as the over sleeping type of person. She seemed like the responsible type.

Soon enough, Miyuki-chan came rushing down the stairs. "N-neh, Ryo-chan. We can study in my room…" she said in between breaths. She's probably exhausted from "speed changing"

"Uisu" I quickly followed her into her room. I honestly thought that her room would be full of plushies, dolls and other girly stuff. Most girls are like that. But her room was very normal, nothing out of the ordinary. Yes, there was some girly touch to the room, but it was just right.

"Let's start?" she nodded, still smiling. I smiled. Something about her smiles seem to make me smile. I've never met anyone like that, I've never met anyone like her. She wasn't like other girls. She's not too girly. I liked that about her. Most girls in class would spend most of their free time brushing or fixing their hair or putting on make-up and what not on their faces. She wasn't like that. Without having to fix her appearance so much, she manages to keep a nice-looking appearance. I think people would call it as "natural beauty." I like that about her. I looked away. How long was I staring at her?

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

I just couldn't help but stare at Ryo-chan. I was still listening of course, and understanding every single bit might I add. But yeah. I was staring at him. . He really IS quite charming isn't he? He's smart, good-looking, thoughtful, sweet, athletic…what other trait does he NOT have? The more I look at him, the more he seemed flawless, even his flaws didn't seem like flaws. His, bored expression was so cute, his somewhat unsociable facade made him seem so mysterious, his sometimes rude character made him look…

"So cool…"

"Nani?" Ryo-chan stopped his little lecture and looked at me. Shoot. Did I say that out loud?? OH JEEZ! Quick! Make up an excuse. Oh crud, my cheeks are getting warm! Oh I hope he doesn't see. It'd be weird and awkward if he found out that I was crushing on him.

I laughed nervously. "he he he, g-gomen, I'm just amused that I c-can catch up a bit in English…he he he." Phew, saved by…uh….my lack of English skills? Okay, that just sounded soo weird.

"Ah…Let's continue"

I started tapping my cheeks lightly. Concentrate Miyuki-chan. CONCENTRATE. YOU HAVE TO PASS THE NEXT ENGLISH TEST OR ELSE. NO MORE CLUB ACTIVITIES!! No, it wasn't the teacher's decision. It was Kuni-chan. He thinks that managing the team is kinda a distraction from my studies. It's not.

* * *

**RYOMA'S POV**

"Wait, so this is the direct object?"

Three hours have passed since we've started tutorials, and things were turning out okay. She wasn't as bad as she was a few weeks ago. About that time, well, she couldn't understand a simple sentence, now she could actually write a whole paragraph, as long as she had a dictionary. She as a really fast learner, she could pick things up in an instant. She's really amazing. I shook my head.

Miyuki-chan took my shaking of the head as, your answer is wrong. And well, she was flustering now. "What? I got it wrong again? Poo. I thought I got it right this time!" she started whining. I smirked.

"I was kidding. It's right." Miyuki-chan was a fast learner. Her only problem is that she barely knows English words. Actually, we started the whole tutorial period in English, and well, she couldn't catch up. Once we used Japanese instead of English as the medium of instruction, still using English examples and terms, she learned really quickly.

"Most of your mistakes happened because you didn't understand the sentences properly. We should work on that next time." She made a face at first, but then agreed to it, she couldn't do anything about it anyway. She had to familiarize herself with the language if she wanted to pass. "Alright"

She stretched her arms and was now lying down on my floor. "Wah, I can't believe we're done!" she giggled. "Hey Ryo-chan, want to get some ice cream? My treat! We can bring Riku with us. We still need family pictures too." She had a point, the scrapbook was due in a week and we barely had photos. Actually we didn't have any photos AT ALL. I think it's a good idea, it's like hitting two birds with one stone. We get photos and I get free ice cream.

* * *

When I first met Miyuki-chan, I never thought that she would be Buchou's cousin. They were just…complete opposites. Okay, cousins don't have to act the same way to prove that they're related but if you're close to someone, chances are you're bound to get influenced. Take Miyuki-chan and Fuji-senpai, Miyuki-chan got her sadism from him. And well, Miyuki-chan mentioned that she was pretty close to Buchou. So I wondered, how is it that they have nothing in common at all?

It was when I started hanging out with her more and became close to her that I saw their similarities. One, they're both good leaders, two, they like "taking one for the team", three, they're both REALLY STUBBORN, fourth, they don't like giving up and fifth, they both like green tea ice cream. Who would've thought right? Miyuki-chan and green tea ice cream? Miyuki-chan looks more like a strawberry ice cream loving person.

"Hmm? What is it Ryo-chan? You've been staring at my ice cream for a long time now. Want some?" We were walking along the park. Sitting down was just too boring. Besides, according to Miyuki-chan, "Today's beautiful. Let's not waste it by just sitting down!"I sighed. When she wants something, she gets it. It's those big and innocent eyes of hers. Che, almost everyone had a soft spot for that, even me. Generally, I do have a soft spot for her. I sighed.

I looked at the ice cream she offered. "No thanks." She just giggled. She's a really happy person, isn't she? It's hard to think that such a happy person would be so prone to tears. I smirked. Takishima Miyuki is indeed an odd person. But I guess that's one of the other reasons why I like her, the fact that she's not like other girls who care too much about what other people think of them.

"Neh, do you mind if I hold Riku?" she licked her ice cream before handing me the egg…er baby. If Miyuki-chan heard me, calling Riku an egg, she'd freak out. She has this sensitive spot for him. "Sure! Neh, I'll take your picture! I have tons with Riku already." It was true, she's been talking pictures with him ever since we finished tutorials.

She took out her camera. "Smile!" of course I didn't smile. I never smile on front of cameras. I don't know, I just don' like cameras in general. "Poo, Ryo-chan, you're not smiling… we still need family pictures though." She then went beside me, with Riku in the middle and extended her arm, the one that was holding the camera. "Smile!" and another picture was taken. "We'll take more later." she giggled.

* * *

We were just going around town, going in and out of different shops. Actually, we didn't really buy anything other than this little cap that Miyuki-chan saw in this toy store. She bought if for Riku. I looked at Riku. He was wearing his new cap, a cap that resembled mine.

"Neh Ryo-chan….you two really do look alike!" I stared at I really look like that egg…er…baby? Che, I don't know. Well, Miyuki-chan thinks so…then again, she tends to exaggerate at times. Whatever, I don't look like Riku….my eyes aren't just two small dots. I turned around, just to see if we DO look alike, only to find that….they were gone. Ha? Where'd they run off to? They were just here a couple of seconds ago. I sighed before looking around.

After a few head turns and sighs, I finally found them. Miyuki-chan was playing with one of those weird crane games, the one that had those dolls in them. I walked over. She was really bad at the game…

"Mah! I suck at this!" she whined as she pursed her lips. She didn't get the doll that she wanted. It was a small pink elephant that had small wings on them. People these days, they just think of the weirdest creatures. I looked at Miyuki-chan as she tried her luck once again. Just saying, her aim was…really bad. That crane thing was really far away from the doll. In fact, it wasn't near a single doll.

I chuckled. "Mada mada dane." She made a face. I smirked. Instinctively, I took out a one hundred yen coin. "Neh, that pink elephant right?"

She blinked. "Ah..y-yeah…" She was probably surprised at my actions.

I then placed the hundred yen coin into the machined and manoeuvred the crane. I got the doll. Well, that was easier than I thought. I bent down and took the doll from the "prize compartment?" Is that what you call it? Yeah whatever, that thing.

"Here…" I handed Miyuki-chan her doll. She blinked at me. "A-arigatou Ryo-chan." She smiled. Strangely, her smile was a little different than her usual ones. It was slightly warmer….or maybe I was just imagining things.

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV**

I smiled as we continued on walking towards who knows where. I wasn't smiling because I got the doll that I wanted, but because of Ryo-chan. He has this weird thing about him. Just when you think that he's all stone, he warms up. He becomes this sweet, sensitive and thoughtful guy. Actually, he really is a sweet, sensitive and thoughtful guy, it's just that... he doesn't show it as often. Or when he does show it, it's very discrete.

I heard a soft rumble. I looked up and noticed the dark clouds forming. It was about lunch time so this wasn't normal. Now that I mention it, I remember Kuni-chan telling me this morning that there was a storm coming. "I really hope that it's not a thunderstorm…."

"Nani?"

"M-mm" I shook my head. "It's nothing." I then felt something wet drip on my hand. Please don't tell me that it was going to rain? I mean, we were in the middle of the park, where in the world can we find shelter? As I on cue, it started raining, and it wasn't just your simple drizzle. It was ACTUAL RAIN. How ironic? I just hoped that it wouldn't rain, then it rains.

I felt a tug on my hand, next thing I knew I was being pulled. It was Ryo-chan. "Let's find someplace dry…." I stared at the hand he was holding. My cheeks turned red. His hand was so soft. Yes he had some calluses from playing tennis, but his hand was still soft. Weird. Does he use hand lotion or something? I giggled at the though. Ryo-chan using hand lotion? That's something I would definitely want to see.

* * *

We were now sitting down inside this weird slide thing. You know, the weird complicated one that had this gigantic bus-like thing attached to it? Well, anyway, bottom line is we now found a safe place to stay while the rain subsided. I sneezed. Boy was it cold. Or maybe it's just me? After all I was soaking wet. Well, Ryo-chan was too, but he was wearing a jacket, a waterproof jacket at that. Talk about convenient right?

I started wiping myself and Riku with my handkerchief. That didn't work. I was still dripping wet. I shivered. I then felt something over my shoulders. It was a jacket, it was Ryo-chan's red jacket. "You're shivering. You need it more than me. You're much more wet than I am…"

"Ah…arigatou Ryo-chan."

Suddenly there was this flash of light followed by a loud thunder.

"AAH!" I screamed really REALLY REALLY loud as I shut my eyes and covered my ears with my hands. I was EXTREMELY terrified of thunder. I don't know why though, I just am.

* * *

**RYOMA'S POV**

I was looking up at the dark sky, wondering how long we'll have to stay in here, when I saw lightning and thunder, followed by a really high pitched scream. I looked down and saw Miyuki-chan as terrified as ever. I never knew she was afraid of thunder. I though her greatest fear was her fear of ghosts, but even ghost stories doesn't make her scream this loud.

I bent down, we were now eye level, though her eyes were still kept shut. "Neh, I never knew you were afraid of thunder…"

She slowly opened her eyes. "A-am not..I was just…surprised." Yeah right. She was obviously afraid of thunder. I know Miyuki-chan. She hates admitting to her weaknesses. We had a similar conversation during the school camping trip, when I noticed her tense up during that ghost story telling session. Suddenly lightning stroke again. I noticed how she stiffened.

"Boo"

"AAAH!" She screamed again. Really loud at that. I chuckled. That was funny."Ryo-chan!

Don't joke around!" Finally, the real thunder came. "AAAAAAH!" she screamed again, covering her ears as she did. I chuckled. "So…you're not afraid?"

"F-fine…I'm terrified okay!" she shrugged. "W-what about you? Aren't you scared?"

I just stared at her and sighed. "Thunder is created when ice particles in the sky collide and static electricity is created. There's nothing scary about that…"

"Y-yeah but-AAAH!" she was really scared wasn't she? I brought her hands away from her ears and held them between my hands. "Daijoubou." Then, I realized something. What was I doing? I don't normally do this. Noticing the awkwardness in the air, I slowly let her hands go…"G-gomen…" I took out my I-pod and places the ear phones on her ears. "H-here, you won't hear the thunder…."

"A-ah. Arigatou, Ryo-chan." She smiled.

* * *

**Well, that's chapter eleven. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Comments? Suggestions? Violent Reactions? Please tell me, it's just a click away. So please please please REVIEW :D**

**NOTE: Please tell me if you start to find Miyuki somewhat annoying (like mary-sue ish) or if like some of the charachters ore OOC. Thanks so much! Review :D**


	12. Friendship

**Hey! Sorry for the really late update. How long has it been? three months? I honestly don't remember. But i'm really sorry if i kept you waiting. A lot of things have happened within the few monts and well, i'm just really really busy right now. So yeah. Anyway, please enjoy :) Don't forget to read and review :)**

**SHOUT OUT: Thank you for all those who reviewed :) EdxWinry6789 ,Sayonara Yasashii Akumu , Lady Queria , just... and everHermione. Thank You guys so much! You inspired me to work harder. 3**

**PS: I've posted a _PICTURE OF HOW MIYUKI LOOKS LIKE ON MY PROFILE PAGE. SO FEEL FREE TO CHECK IT OUT. _Cause like, i know i didn't do a great job on describing her :)**

**NOTE: I JUST REMOVED A SENTENCE THAT REPEATED. THAT'S ALL :)**

* * *

**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Twelve: Friendship**

"Achoo!"I covered my nose with a tissue as I sneezed. I was sick. Nothing serious though, just a slight cold. I've been like this since Saturday and today was a Monday. So that's Saturday, Sunday, Monday…three days. I've had colds for three days already. Wow. My immune system's really bad isn't it?

"Neh Miyuki-chan. You don't seem too well. What about skipping practice?" I looked up and saw Momo-senpai.

I sniffed. "Daijoubu Senpai. It's just a cold."

Momo-senpai started laughing. I made face and started whining. "Momo-sennpai!"

Momo-senpai continued on laughing. "Gomen Gomen Miyuki-chan! You just sound...so different!" He wiped the tears that were forming at the corner of his eyes. You want to know why Momo-senpai's laughing at me? Okay, here's the thing. Remember how I have a cold? Well, because of that, I somehow manage to lose my voice. I didn't lose it completely. It's just that it's really hoarse. Oh, and you know what Mom-senpai said? He said that I sound like a boy now. I sighed. Well, at least that's better than what Fuji-senpai said. He said that I sounded like a frog!

"Senpai!" I puffed my cheeks.

"Nya, Mimi-chi! Maybe you shouldn't shout so much. You won't get your voice back nya." Eiji-nii chuckled as he gave me a light hug from the back. His hands were around my shoulders and his cheeks were resting on the top of my head.

"Ah, Eiji-nii. I know I know…but, I can't help myself!" Once again, I couldn't control myself. I screamed. Ish. My voice was a little loud a t first but then my voice got really high and pitchy.

"Nya, what'd I just tell you?" He started poking my cheek. I sighed. Eiji-nii just loves doing that. Apparently, my cheeks are as soft as pillows…so he says.

"That's fine Eiji. At least Miyuki-chan'll sound like a frog for a little longer." Fuji-senpai chuckled. Wah! Fuji-senpai's such a sadist! Puffed my cheeks yet again.

"Fuji-senpai~" I whined.

"Neh, Miyuki-chan. How'd you end up getting sick anyway?" Momo-senpai asked. Yeah, he FINALLY stopped laughing at my voice.

I turned red, remembering what happened that very day. "Mah, I told you already. I got caught in the rain last Saturday!" I croaked.

"Nya! Miyuki-chan! You're turning red! And you're getting warm! Nya are you getting a fever!" Eiji-nii was panicking. Sugoi, he's acting like Oishi-senpai! Well, I guess that was expected. I mean, after all those years that they've spent with each other, I'm sure they've caught on to each other's habits. Though…I don't see it that much…

Fuji-senpai chuckled. "Saa Eiji. I don't think that's it. I think Miyuki-chan's hiding something." Bullseye. Why's Fuji-senpai so good when it comes to guessing things? Oh yeah, I forgot. He's a tensai. I turned even redder "Saa Miyuki-chan, what happened last Saturday?"

"N-nothing!" I screamed..ish. I couldn't really scream with a hoarse voice. With that, I pried away from Eiji-nii's hug and walked towards who knows where. I continued on walking until I bumped into something that felt like a wall. I looked up, it was just Kuni-chan. "Ah Kuni-chan…"

Kuni-chan bent down and felt my forehead. "You're a bit warm. Maybe you should go home instead."

"Mou, Kuni-chan. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. See?" I gave him a huge grin.

Kuni-chan stood up "Ah…If ever you don't feel well, go to the nurse's office."

I nodded. "Hai Kuni-chan." I smiled again. At that, Kuni-chan left, walking around the courts and monitoring the regulars.

I then looked at Ryo-chan.

_Ba-dump. Ba-dump_. My heart was beating really loud. I sighed. Of all the people I could've fallen for…it just had to be him. I don't hate Ryo-chan , of course not. He's my best friend after all….but that's the problem right there. He's my BEST FRIEND. I couldn't fall in love with my best friend. I just couldn't. If Ryo-chan doesn't feel the same way as me, then it'd be awkward. Worst case scenario? It would be so awkward that we'd stop talking to each other. And that was what I was scared about.

* * *

**RYOMA'S POV**

I looked at Miyuki-chan. I don't get it. Buchou says she looked like she has a fever earlier and told me to watch her…but she seems fine to me. Look. She's smiling and laughing at Horio's lame attempt of a joke. Seriously, his jokes aren't that funny. Miyuki-chan's easy to please. She'll laugh at almost anything. I mean, she giggles all the time. How ironic though. Her cousin, Tezuka-buchou, doesn't laugh, nor does he smile. It's like the laughter that was supposed to be in him went to Miyuki-chan…

"R-ryo-chan? D-daijoubu?" Miyuki-chan cocked her head to her left as she blinked. She sounds really weird. Hmm, I wonder why I didn't get sick as she did? Then again, unlike her, I was wearing a jacket last Saturday so I wasn't as soaked as she was.

"Hai hai. I'm fine." I sighed. "Hey, you shouldn't talk too much." You sound worse than yesterday…" She giggled. See, I told you she giggles all the time.

"Don't worry Ryo-chan. I'll be fine!"

I sighed. Okay, maybe Buchou was right about keeping an eye on her. If she keeps this up, she'll lose her voice by tomorrow. I shook my head. "Don't talk too much. You'll lose your voice."

"Hai hai…I'll try not to talk so much… Oh yeah, here's your jacket. Thanks for lending it to me." she rummaged through her bag and took out my red jacket. It was neatly folded. Hmm, I almost forgot about this…

"Ah.. Arigatou…" I took my jacket back. From afar, I could smell the scent of lavender. Hmm, just like her. Uh…okay, forget I said that.

"No problem." She giggled before turning her attention to Riku. She's obsessed with that egg. Well, maybe she just wanted a good grade…Che, whatever. I continued to stare at her. Why I'm doing this, I don't know.

"_Y-yeah but-AAAH!" she was really scared wasn't she? I brought her hands away from her ears and held them between my hands. "Daijoubou." Then, I realized something. What was I doing? I don't normally do this. Noticing the awkwardness in the air, I slowly let her hands go…"G-gomen…" I took out my I-pod and places the ear phones on her ears. "H-here, you won't hear the thunder…."_

I shook my head. Why is it that I can't stop thinking about what happened last Saturday? Okay, maybe I was a bit…out of character? But still. That's not something to be worked up about. What's so weird about me being nice to someone. I'm nice…I guess. Okay fine, I'm only nice to people when I want to be. And I'm nicer to Miyuki-chan than to any other person, but that's only because she's my best friend. And last Saturday, I could tell that she was really afraid, what's so wrong with helping her out? I sighed. Che, that's not it. It's not that I can't stop thinking about what happened last Saturday. It's her. Why can't I stop thinking about her lately?

* * *

I looked at Miyuki-chan from the corner of my eyes. She seems frustrated. She's really having a hard time in English huh? I chuckled inwardly as she let out a frustrated face and slumped on her desk. It's kinda cute….uh….what did I just say? Nevermind. Why am I looking at her anyway? Even though English class is boring, I can look at other things…like the sky or something. I sighed and started looking at the board. Dependent and Independent clauses. Boring. Che, I already know these things. Do I REALLY have to take this class? Seriously. My English is a lot more advanced than this. I sighed.

_RING._

Finally. English is done. I stood up and grabbed my books for the next class. It was time for home economics. Once again, we have to go to the kitchen. Don't ask why. Che, annoying. Home economics is such a hassle. Even the baby egg project's a hassle. Well, not entirely a hassle. It can be a bit fun. I mean, because of the egg project, I've been spending more time with Miyuki-chan more, which is kinda fun. Okay fine. I really enjoy spending time with her out of school. But still. Taking care of an egg is pretty stupid. Er…don't tell Miyuki-chan I said that. She'll kill me. Though, it's pretty funny that she's really into the project and all. You know, she's being all motherly like towards the egg..er…Riku. It's cute. I blinked. What's up with me today? I can't stop thinking about her, can't stop calling her cute, can't stop looking at her… Maybe I'm coming down with something? Maybe a fever? I dunno. Che, one thing's for sure. Hanging around her too much will only make me think about her more….

I left the room. As I was walking along the corridor, I heard Miyuki-chan shout.

"RYO-CHAN! WAIT UP!" I chose to ignore her.

* * *

**MIYUKI'S POV **

I walked out of the classroom only to find…no Ryo-chan. That's odd, he didn't wait for me this time. Hmm, maybe he just didn't hear me or something. Well, that's fine. I continued walking towards the kitchen. As soon as I got there….hmm, I don't have a working area to stay in. See, at the start of the year, sensei explained to us that only two people are allowed to stay in one working area. Sadly, they were all full. Well, it seemed like that. Mou, even Ryo-chan has one. He's with Sakuno-chan. Just so you know, she's Riyuzaki-sensei's granddaughter. I looked around for a working area, ah there's one. I quickly took my spot, right beside Kachiro-kun.

"Hi Kachiro-kun."

"Ah Miyuki-chan. Neh, I thought Ryoma-kun would save you a seat or something." He said, scratching his head.

"Mah, I think he came in late." I chuckled as I placed my apron on.

Kachiro-kun blinked. "Ie. Ryoma-kun was one of the first people to arrive."

"Oh..well, maybe he didn't want to hoard the seats."

Kachiro-kun chuckled. "Haha, that's probably it. I actually thought that the two of you were fighting." He scratched the back of his head again.

"Alright class, settle down." Sensei finally arrived. Hmm, I wonder what we're doing today? Hopefully we don't have to bake or cook anything. I would seriously die. Sensei started putting her apron on and stood in the middle of the kitchen. "So today, you'll be learning how to make croquettes. So, to make things a lot easier, you'll be working in pairs. Uh. Just work with the person who's in the same working area as you. Alright everyone, get your ingredients and recipe in front."

I looked at Kachiro. "Neh Kachiro-kun, I'll go get the ingredients. Okay?"

"Anou, Miyuki-chan. Why don't I help you? There seems to be a lot of things."

I looked in front. Uh..yeah, he was right. There WERE a lot of things. "Alright, thanks Kachiro-kun." At that, Kachiro-kun and I gathered the things we needed; potatoes, breading, flour, eggs, onion, shredded chicken and a lot of more things. Who knew you needed a lot of things to make croquettes.

As soon as Kachiro and I had the things we need, we carefully read the recipe. Kachiro-kun and I were both holding the paper. "Step one. Cook two potatoes." We both looked at the potatoes given to us.

"Neh, Kachiro-kun, they're already cooked right?" I looked at Kachiro-kun.

"Hai. That's why they're already peeled. And I asked sensei earlier." We continued on reading. "Step two, in a bowl, mash the potatoes along with a fourth cup of onion, a fourth cup of shredded chicken and a teaspoon of table salt."

Kachiro and I started working on the mashed potatoes. Boy was it hard to mash them. They were already soft of course, but still. It was hard to completely mash them. "Neh, Miyuki-chan. Why don't we cut them in smaller pieces? I think that would be a lot easier to mash."

I giggled. "You're right. Anou…I don't really like using knives….um…can you do it?"

Kachiro-kun gave his usual smile. He's a really happy person isn't he? "Hai. No problem." Kachiro-kun started cutting the potatoes in smaller pieces. While he was doing that, I started looking around. My eyes were fixed on Ryo-chan and Sakuno-chan. They seemed like they were having so much fun. Honestly, I was slightly jealous.

* * *

It was lunch time. Normally. I would be at the rooftop eating my lunch with Ryo-chan. Not today. Today was different. I was sitting on one of the benches around campus, the ones near the tennis courts. Well, I wanted some time to myself. Okay, maybe it was a lie. Why wasn't I at the rooftop today? Well, I don't know when it started, but…out of the blue, I started feeling this weird tension between Ryo-chan and I. You know, little awkward moments. I mean, whenever I talk to him, he just stares, he doesn't say anything. Okay, Ryo-chan may not be the talkative type of person, but when you start a conversation with him, he usually answers. Even though he just gives his usual one word answers, it's still considered as an answer. It's not just that. Whenever I tried to approach him, he'd usually go…away. And right now, I don't know, I just find it so hard to approach him. Weird huh? It was like…that feeling I felt when Kuni-chan and I got into a big fight. Hmm. I wonder if he's mad. But…why would he be mad? I sighed. This feels really weird .But here's the thing. I like Ryo-chan. You know, like-like. And…what if he finds out that I like him and he doesn't feel the same way. This is what I'll be experiencing every day. And I don't think I can stand that….

I sighed and looked at Riku. "Neh Riku, okaasan's troubled….."

"Saa, what's troubling you okaasan?"

"Well, it started when…" I stopped talking. Wait a minute. I blinked and gawked at Riku. No way. Riku did NOT just talk.

"Saa okaasan. Isn't gawking rude?" Riku chuckled. Okay. He just talked. AGAIN! And did Riku just sound like Fuji-senpai? I sighed. Fuji-senpai. I bet he's behind me. I turned around and, yes, I was right. It was Fuji-senpai all along. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Fuji-senpai was pranking me. He's like that after all.

"Fuji-senpai! For a second there I thought Riku was actually talking…or that I've gone crazy and was imagining things." I whined as I started hitting Fuji-senpai with my fists. I did this lightly of course. I don't really want to inflict pain on him. Then again, even if I used every ounce of strength I had, I probably wouldn't be able to hurt him as much. I mean, I AM pretty small for my age.

Fuji-senpai just chuckled and sat beside me. "Gomen Miyuki-chan. I just wanted to see how you'd react if er.,.. Riku suddenly started talking. It was pretty funny actually" He smiled. I twitch. Sadist. Yes, this just proves to show that Fuji-senpai is a sadist. I sighed. "Saa, so what's bugging you? You seem a bit upset"

I blinked. "Mah Fuji-senpai. It's nothing serious. Just some school stuff, that's all." I giggled.

"Saa Miyuki-chan, it's not good to lie. I can tell you're a little upset about something. Does it have something to do with what happened last Saturday?"I blinked for the nth time this day. Ooh, Fuji-senpai's good. He's not a tensai for nothing. I placed Riku back in his little basket and clasped started fidgeting with my fingers. "Well…kinda. But…" I sighed and looked at Fuji-senpai. "Neh senpai, if you were to choose what would you chose? Friendship or love?"

Fuji-senpai chuckled. "Hmm. I guess I'd have to say both."

I made a face. That didn't help. "Mah, okay. Hmmm…How about this. Let's say, hypothetically, you like someone. And this someone happens to be your friend, a really close friend of yours. Would you tell her that you like her, even though you might lose her as a friend if she doesn't feel the same way?"

Fuji-senpai chuckled again. "Saa Miyuki-chan. Is that what's troubling you?"

"N-no. It was a hypothetical question. Hypothetical…." I started fidgeting with my fingers, a sure sign that I was hiding something or that I was nervous about something. Kinda a habit of mine. I have a lot of habits huh? I bet a lot of people can read me like an open book.

"Saa, so you really don't like Echizen as more than a friend?"

"N-no…W-why would you say that?" I stuttered. I don't know why but iw as nervous. I guess I just didn't want anyone to know that I kinda liked Ryo-chan.

Fuji-senpai chuckled. "Cause he's right behind you."

My jaw dropped and quickly turned around, only to find…no one. Fuji-senpai tricked me. I turned around and squinted my eyes at Fuji-senpai as I puffed my cheeks. "F-FUJI-SENPAI!" I coughed as my voice started getting high. Note to self: YOU'RE SICK. STOP SCREAMING. Mah, Eiji-nii was right. I CAN'T stop screaming.

Fuji-senpai just chuckled. "Saa Miyuki-chan. Seems like you do."

"Okay fine…maybe I do." I mumbled soft enough so that only Fuji-senpai could hear. "But don't tell anyone. Okay? Pinkie swear." I looked up and held out my right pinkie. I know it sounds kind of childish, you know, pinkie promise. But pinkie promises are a big thing for me. You do NOT break pinkie promises.

"Saa Miyuki-chan, that really isn't a secret anymore. I mean, almost all of us think that you have a crush on him." Fuji-senpai chuckled.

My jwa dropped. Almost EVERYONE? When was this? I just got a crush on him recently! Was it that obvious? I made a face. "B-but still. Pinkie promise you won't tell anyone." I extended my pinkie further.

"Hai hai." He smiled and intertwined his pinkie with mine. So now, he was sworn to secrecy. Hey, I don't take pinkie swears lightly. "But, if you can have both, then I'd pick both."

I made a face. Right now, he wasn't helping my dilemma at all. "Mou. What if you're only allowed to pick one? What would you pick?"

Fuji-senpai looked up as though he was thinking. I tilted my head. Was it really that hard to answer? Well, it kinda IS hard to answer it. "Saa. It depends. For me, I'd take the risk. It's in my personality to take risks. I guess, you'll just have to follow what your heart wants." I blinked. Wow, I never knew Fuji-senpai was a really insightful person. Yes, I was well aware that he was a really smart person. He's a tensai after all. But, who knew he could give good advices huh? "Saa, what's your heart telling you? What's more important for you?"

I looked up to the sky and, without thinking, said the first thing that popped in my head. "Hmm. friendship…."

* * *

**So what do you guys think? Please please please Review. I would really appreciate it if you did :) Comments and suggestions are welcomed :) And if you guys have any ideas on how to improve the story, feel free to send a review. It's just one click away. :)**


	13. Awkwardness

**Hey Guys! I know i know, it's been a REALLY long time since i've updates and yeah, i'm so sorry about that. I kinda ran out of creative juices on what's supposed to happen. SO, please forgive me! I also want to apologize in advance if you find this chapter slightly random and er...filler-ish? I dunno. Like, right now, i'm trying to bridge the next events? so yeah. Please bear with me for a while. Okay? THANKS :)**

**Also, thanks to all those who reviewed in the last chapters! You guys made my day :) (Shinigami's-Rusty-Death-Scythe ,Kouyan ,Sayonara Yasashii Akumu ,MoonlightChaos ,Lady Queria )**

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**One Sided Rivalry Summary: When girls see Fuji, they fawn over him. Meet the only girl who fumes with anger when Fuji's around. Miyashita Hikari, little miss always number two. She's Fuji's rival you know? Though, doesn't it seem a little bit one sided? FujiXOCX? (Basically, it a love hate relationship kind of thing) SO GO GO GO! CHECK IT OUT :) Just visit my profile and click the link :)**

* * *

**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Thirteen: Awkwardness**

I lay down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. I then shifted to the right and stared at my empty side table. Usually, Riku would be there but not today. It was Ryo-chan's turn to take him home. Actually, throughout this whole day, the only time that I was able to talk to Ryo-chan was when I told him that it was his turn to bring Riku home.

I sat up from my bed. Grrr. I swear, I'm getting really frustrated. I mean, I seriously don't get Ryo-chan's sudden change in personality. Okay, I know he isn't the friendliest person in the whole school but I know for a fact that he isn't a snob. And today, well, he was being a snob. He was being a snob to me. Just me. Mou, what did I do? I don't remember doing anything mean to him. I sighed. Maybe I need some fresh air or something. I looked at the clock that was on my study desk. It was still early. I wonder if Kuni-chan will accompany me or something. I got out of bed and headed towards Kuni-chan's room. I knocked on the door.

"It's open." I heard him say on the other side of the room. I gently opened the door and peeked in. I saw Kuni-chan sitting on his chair, reading a book. He looked up. "Ah, Miyuki-chan."

"Neh Kuni-chan. Want to get some ice cream?"

* * *

I honestly didn't expect Kuni-chan to get some ice cream with me. I dunno. Throughout the twelve years that I've known my cousin, I've always known that he was a practical and responsible person. He wasn't the type who'd agree to random 'spurs of the moment.' He was more of the 'well planned' kind of guy. And just so you know. Yes, I've actually tried this before; asking him to have a walk around the neighborhood around night time. Hmm. I wonder why he actually agreed this time.

I licked my yummy ice cream. Green tea as usual. I just never get tired of this one. "Neh Kuni-chan, arigatou. I thought you wouldn't allow me to get some ice cream since I'm still kind of sick."

"Ah. You seemed upset and ice cream's the only thing that can cheer you up."

"Mou, ice cream isn't the only thing! Hugs can cheer me up too!" I gave Kuni-chan a hug. I continued to stare at Kuni-chan. "You should smile more. You look like Ojii-san." I giggled. Kuni-chan just blinked and stared at me. I giggled. Kuni-chan's so funny. I looked around, noticing where we were. We were in the same place wherein the accident happened. "Neh Kuni-chan, it's this street. I haven't walked in this street in a really long time." Really. See, this street is kind of far from Kuni-chan's house, and well, we don't really take this route. Why did we pass here today? Well, it's because this was the scenic route. I wanted to take the scenic route. I wanted to see this street again. I was tired of running away.

"Neh, I guess it was a good thing that we were walking in this street that day huh? I mean, okay fine, I injured my shoulder and all that but, at least that little boy wasn't hurt neh?" I licked my ice cream and looked at the stars.

"Is that why you seem dazed this whole day? Because of your shoulder?" I looked at Kuni-chan and cocked my head to the right. Really? Was I really that dazed today? Mou, I guess I was thinking too much about what I told Fuji-senpai earlier. "Hmm? Don't worry about that Kuni-chan. It's nothing." I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Miyuki, you're like a sister to me. You can tell me anything."

I giggled. "Just boy troubles Kuni-chan, just boy troubles." I giggled as he raised an eyebrow. I sighed. "Okay okay fine, I'll tell you but. Don't make fun of me okay? And don't tell anyone else. Pinky swear?" I raised my pinky.

Kuni-chan blinked. And stared at my pinky. Don't tell me he doesn't know what a pinky swear is? A few seconds passed by and he just stared at my pink. Okay, never mind. He really doesn't know what a pinky swear is. I sighed and grabbed his hand, stuck his pinky out and intertwined it with mine. "There. Now you're sworn to secrecy!" I giggled as I started to tell him everything.

* * *

Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. I've been sighing a lot lately. I looked at Ryo-chan and remembered what I had told Fuji-senpai and Kuni-chan a few days ago. I sighed again. What is it with me and sighing? Yeah, I know, I normally sigh a lot, it's kinda a habit, but this was way too much! I looked at Ryo-chan. Ugh, remember Miyuki, friendship over everything else. Shoot, I still can't get that thump thump thump feeling in my heart whenever I see him. And because of that, I can't even approach him anymore. Well I can, but it just feels awkward. And besides, I don't know why but it seems as though Ryo-chan is really avoiding me.

"Takishima-san." I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I jumped and tensed. "H-HAI!" I screamed and slammed my hands on my desk. Well, I was really tense right now, and nervous too! I turned red as soon as I heard the snickers from my classmates and the annoyed look on sensei's face.

I heart Suzuki-sensei, our homeroom teacher giggle. "Neh Takishima-san, we need you to help assist your other co class representative in deciding on what to do for the school festival. We only have a month to prepare you know." She giggled again. Suzuki-sensei's really bubbly isn't she? Co class representative? You mean Ryo-chan? I looked in front and saw Ryo-chan already standing in front of the class. I sighed and headed towards the blackboard.

Just so you know, I never volunteered for this job. I didn't even want it in the first place. The only reason why my class picked my was because well, my classmates found out that Kuni-chan, the president of the student council and the captain of the tennis club, was my cousin. How'd they find out? First day of school, Kuni-chan brought me to class and gave ma A LOT of reminders. Seriously. He was like a dad who was bringing his very first daughter to kindergarten! Then the teacher saw and found out that we were cousins and then my other classmates overheard.

"Anou…do you guys have any ideas?" I asked sheepishly.

"Neh, what about we have a teashop or something? It's both easy and convenient!"

"Yeah yeah! We can sell bubble tea too!"

"And cakes!"

By now, the whole class is in commotion. And well, I was now scribbling on the board. I wasn't sure if these were all the same idea or what, but I was just writing whatever I heard on the board. Okay, things are getting really noisy. Everyone's talking at the same time and I can't hear properly anymore. All I hear is jibberish. I looked at Ryo-chan. "N-neh, Ryo-chan. Do understand anything anymore?"

"Nope…." Was all that he said as he continued on staring at the classroom.

"Mah mah! One at a time everyone." Sensei giggled as she finally intervened. "Ora ora. So, does everyone agree to having a teashop slash café thing?"

"Hai!"

"Let me see a show of hands. Who's okay with this idea?" At that everyone raised their hands. Well, at least everyone agrees. Sensei giggled again. "Okay, now that that's done, let's discuss about how we'll go on about this. Class reps, go on and take charge." She giggled.

"Uh…hai." I looked at Ryo-chan. Er…it doesn't look like he wants to do the talking. He seems…bored actually. I looked at my classmates. "Anou, what about we er…divide into different committees? Like, we'll have you guys choose committees and then you can discuss first. Then you can share your ideas to the class and everyone'll just pitch in? is that okay?" I looked at sensei who just nodded.

"Er…so we'll have a layout committee, you guys are in charge of the floor plan and where things will go. I guess you guys can also find out where we can get extra materials?" I noticed that Ryo-chan stood up and started writing the things I was saying on the board. I continued. "Decors, you're in charge of the decorations. Costumes, er…costumes. I'm guessing you'll have to coordinate with the the decors committee. Uh what else?"

"Finance…" Ryo-chan said as he wrote that on the board. "And food…."

"Oh yeah. So…er…Finance? What do they do? I guess you'll have to handle all the budgeting. Right? And then food, you'll have to figure out what we'll be serving and where we can get those…."

"Neh. You guys can sign up now." Ryo-chan said in a very bored tone as he went to the side of the blackboard.

* * *

_RING_

The final bell rang. Meaning, school was over and it was time to go to tennis practice. This time, Ryo-chan and I were walking together. He didn't wait for me or anything, it just happened that we walked out of the room at the same time. I looked at him at the corner of my eyes. Okay, this is soo awkward. This walk is way too quiet for my liking.

"Neh Ryo-chan….?"

"Nani?" he said in a very bored tone as he continued to walk and looked in front.

"Well, uh…." I started as I placed a hand on the back of my neck. "Don't forget about the baby scrapbook. We can work on it tomorrow or something." I let out a nervous laugh. Gosh, even talking about school stuff is awkward!

"Ah…." Ryo-chan blinked, his eyes still not averting from the path that was right in front of him.

"Okay then" I nervously said.

"Okay"

I blinked. "Okay…"

"Neh, here's Riku…" He took Riku out of his pocket and handed him to me. Riku was inside his pocket? Good thing he didn't break!

It was quiet again. I sighed. Well, at least we're near the tennis courts now. In the tennis courts, the words quiet and peaceful do not exist. It occasionally does, but those moments are quite rare. Actually, they're really really rare.

"URUSAI BAKA!"

"What was that MAMUSHI?"

See what I mean? I looked over at the tennis courts, once again, Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai were bickering and arguing. Mou, these two NEVER stop fighting! NEVER! Even when they're paired up as doubles partners, they STILL fight. I sighed but giggled. Despite the fact that these tennis regulars are…let's admit, they're pretty bizarre, I still love them! They're like the older brothers that I never had.

I headed towards the girl's locker room to change. Once that was done, I quickly walked to the tennis courts where the regulars were located. I heard then the door of the tennis courts open and saw Ryo-chan enter. Unconsciously, I ended up staring at him, following him with my eyes. I then heard a chuckle "Saa, you really like him don't you?" I turned around and saw Fuji-senpai.

I turned red. "N-no way! Not anymore at least! I told you yesterday Fuji-senpai! We're just friends!"

Fuji-senpai chuckled. "Really Miyuki-chan? Really? Just friends?"

"Yes! Just friends!" I turned even redder as I started flailing my arms. Grr, Fuji-senpai's such a sadist. I bet he's enjoying this right now. I mean, look at me. I'm all red, screaming and I'm flailing my arms. I bet I look like some kind of crazy person. Fuji-senpai started laughing. "Mou! Fuji-senpai! Hidoi!"

"Saa, just kidding Miyuki-chan." He ruffled my hair as I crossed my arms over my chest and humphed. Fuji-senpai just chuckled and smiled. As usual. "Demo, are you sure about your decision? You know, you can't really force yourself to do something that you don't want to do."

"Hai. And besides Fuji-senpai, I'm happy being his best friend."

"Saa, well, just don't rush into things neh?"

I blinked and looked at Fuji-senpai. I cocked my head to the right.I was slightly confused now. Who's rushing what now? Fuji-senpai just chuckled, he probably noticed the confused expression I had. "Saa, just make sure that you're happy about this neh?"

"Uh… hai…"

* * *

Is it just me or is Ryo-chan avoiding me? I think it started yesterday but…it's a lot worse today. Well, we were able to talk…a little bit but it was just soo awkward! Seriously! More awkward that when you're trying to get Kuni-chan into telling you his 'life stories.' What's going on anyway? I'm so confused and frustrated. I sighed.

"Oi! Miyuki-chan! Look out" I heard a scream from behind me.

"Ha?" I turned around and came face to face with a yellow green tennis ball. It hit me square on the forehead, causing me to drop the basket of tennis balls that I was carrying. I crouched down a bit and touched the area of my forehead where the tennis ball hit me. "Ite…" It really hurt. It really does. I rubbed my forehead. Mou, I think I have a bump. Note to self: NEVER EVER get distracted or dazed whenever you're in the regulars courts. You might end up having an 'owie' bump on your forehead.

"AH! Miyuki-chan! Gomen Gomen!" I heard footsteps running. I looked up. Woah. So it IS true! If you get hit on the head really hard you'll see stars. I blinked and squinted. I saw Momo-senpai right in front of me, a tennis racket in hand. So I'm guessing he was the one who hit the ball? Probably. After all, it was really REALLY strong! Behind him were the other regulars. Wow, there's like, three of each person. Okay, I think I got hit by the ball really hard."Neh neh, Daijoubu?"

"Mm" I nodded "Daijoubu Momo-senpai. It's my fault. I was being careless…" I gave him a reassuring smile. I was somewhat okay I guess, I mean, it's not like I'm bleeding or anything.

Suddenly, Oishi-senpai came running. I blinked. What exactly was he holding? What's with all those medical supplies? "Miyuki-chan, are you alright? Uh…bandage bandage…where's the bandage?" Oishi-senpai started rummaging through the first aid kit. Uh…I think Oishi-senpai's a tad too…worried. It was just a bump on the head.

"Uh…I'll take you to the emergency room! You might have a concussion!" I blinked. Oishi-senpai really needs to take a chill pill. Hmm, I think he's just over worked. Yeah, that's probably it.

"Anou…senpai? I don't think that's necessary.." I laughed nervously. "I think…I'll just go get something cold for my forehead. Okay?" I stood up and headed towards the nearest uh…vending machine? Well, it was the only place I could think of that had something cold. There was one nearby anyway. But before I could leave the court, I felt a hand grab the back of my shirt.

I stopped walking and turned around. "Here…This should be cold enough…" It was Ryo-chan. I looked down at what he was holding. It was a can of Ponta.

"A-arigatou Ryo-chan…" I took the can of Ponta and placed it on my forehead. Right now, I was staring at Ryo-chan. Shoot, I still can't get that thump thump thump feeling in my heart whenever I see him. He walked away. I sighed. What's with Ryo-chan? One minute he's all cold, the next minute, he's all warm. Ryo-chan, you're making me all frustrated…

* * *

Tennis practice was finally over. FINALLY. It's not that I hated practice today but, I'm just kinda tired that's all. I mean, after all, I did get hit on the head by a tennis ball. And besides, I felt kinda awkward in there. One, Ryo-chan was being distant and cold and two, whenever I looked at him, my heart would go thump thump. That was something that I was avoiding. Remember? Friendship over love. I sighed.

"Mimi-chi nya?" I looked up at Eiji-nii. He didn't have his usual heartwarming grin on his face. Rather, he had a somewhat worried and distressed look. Hmm. I wonder what's wrong with him.

"Ah Eiji-nii. Daijoubu? You don't look…okay." I blinked. I was concerned. Eiji-nii is one of the happiest and cheerful person I know. I've never seen him like this before. Well, I kinda saw him like this the other day when he was doing his math homework. But that was because of math. Eiji-nii and math don't really click.

Eiji-nii chuckled. "Mah! I'm the one who's supposed to ask that!" He sighed. "So, nya, are you okay? You and Ochibi have been acting really strange." He asked, still with that worried expression on his face. Okay, I swear, I'm not used to this Eiji-nii side. He's all….serious and not cheery. It's weird. Though, it's kinda touching that he cares about my well being.

"I was acting strange?" I asked slightly confused. I swear, I don't think I am. I understand Ryo-chan acting strange. I mean, he's acting slightly colder and more distant than usual. But me? Hmmm.

"Hai nya! You kept on staring. And you seem dazed during tennis practice nya. And Ochibi…well, he seems more distant that normal." He explained, flailing his hands everywhere.

I blinked. "Ah…" Hmmm. Okay, I noticed the whole Ryo-chan being distant thing, but I didn't know that I seemed dazed. Hmm. Really? I honestly don't remember acting strange….

"Nya, you're doing it again." Eiji-nii poked my cheeks. Not just once, not twice, but a couple of times. He loves doing this. You know, poking people.

I blinked. Wow. I really don't notice these things huh. "Ah. Gomen Gomen! I think I just have a lot of things on my mind." I giggled. "Don't worry about it Eiji-nii." I gave him a reassuring smile. Well, I think it worked. He's back to his normal self again.

"Nya nya! Want to get something to eat?" Eiji-nii and food. He's kinda like Momo-senpai. They get really distracted by food. He slung an arm over my shoulder. I gave him a side hug. What? I like hugs okay? It's one of the few things that Eiji-nii and I have in common.

"Hai hai. Demo, you're treating right?" I giggled as I saw the expression on his face. His eyes were wide open and he looked kind of surprised in a bad way? Something like that. I can't really explain.

"EH?" he pouted. "Mou, you hang out with Momo too much. You're starting to get his habits." He whined. I get what he's saying though. Whenever Momo-senpai's with Eiji-nii, he'd ALWAYS make Eiji-nii pay for his food. Actually, Momo-senpai would make ANYONE treat him, even his kohais! He's asked almost everyone, except for Kuni-chan, Fuji-senpai and Inui-senpai.

I laughed. "I was just kidding Eiji-nii! Besides, Even if I wasn't kidding, I wouldn't make you treat me. Kuni-chan might get mad." I laughed again, thinking of what Kuni-chan would say to me. I bet he'll give me a LONG lecture on being responsible or something. Kuni-chan fun fact number thirteen. Other than giving laps, One of Kuni-chan's hobbies include giving lectures. Shhh, don't tell him I told you that.

"Takishima." I blinked. I know that voice. That was Tsuyoshi-kun. I turned to the direction of the voice and saw Tsuyoshi-kun. He was standing in front of school, leaning on the gates. Eh? What's he doing here? His school's all the way in Kanagawa. Yes. Kanagawa. Honestly, I thought Kojimachi was in Tokyo. Anyway, moving on!

"Eh? Tsuyoshi-kun? What are you doing all the way here?"

"Takishima, neh, you want to..er…hang out or something? Just the two of us?"

* * *

**Okay, so that was chapter 13! yay! Just saying the number 13 is my LUCKY number. I just love it! :) I know i'm weird. So anyway, what do you think? Too draggy? filler-ish? random? please tell me by...REVIEWING! comments, suggestions and constructive criticisms are welcomed :) SO REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! It's just a button away!**

**AND ONCE AGAIN, I'LL ADVERTISE. CHECK OUT MY OTHER POT FIC! ONE SIDED RIVALRY. IT'S A FUJIXOC. :) I would really appreciate it :) and review :) please?**


	14. Spying

**HOOOOMMMMMGGGGG I FINALLY UPDATED AFTER 2 FRIGGIN MONTHS. I bet you hate me soo much right now. Haha. Sarreh.**

** SO Guys, I'm ever so sorry for this super duper late update. I didn't mean to do it, i swear. It's just that my laptop pretty much died on me and as usual, schools a bitch. SO much things too do. OMG, Embryology sucks. I barely passed my exams. It's midterms week next week soo, i probably won't update within that period of time.**

**Anyway, enough of me and my rants. On with the story. I hope you guys'll enjoy it. Sorry if it isn't that long :(**

* * *

**Heart Strings**

**Chapter Fourteen: Spying**

I continued to stare at Riku. I sighed. Ugh. I'm thinking too much again. Then again, I always over think things, that's probably why I cry a lot. Or maybe it's because I'm just too sensitive. Maybe both. I looked at Riku again and sighed. Well, at least Riku won't hate me like Ryo-chan right? Is he mad at me in the first place or is it just me? Maybe I'm just way too paranoid about things. I dunno. Maybe. Ugh! I'm soo confused. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

I started kicking the rock that was in my path. I sighed. What's up with Ryo-chan anyway? One minute he's cold, the next, he's nice. So frustrating. I sighed again. Ugh. I better stop this now. I'm with Tsuyoshi-kun. It's kind of rude. Well, that's what Kuni-chan said. He said that when you're with someone, and you're upset, don't make them worry about you. Or something like that. Then again, he also told me to always talk about your problems. Kinda contradicting isn't it? Whatever. I don't remember most of his lectures. See, you usually gives them late at night, when I'm half asleep. Actually, he kinda gave me another lecture on staying awake and listening when someone's talking.

I shook my head and smiled, shaking all of my previous thoughts away. "Neh Tsuyoshi-kun? What's up? You don't look okay." I giggled as I noticed Tsuyoshi-kun. He looks slightly….flustered? I dunno. He's fidgeting with his thumbs He usually does that when he's anxious about something. Hmm, I wonder what's up. Throughout the two years that I've known Tsuyoshi-kun, he hasn't been THIS anxious about anything. Not even during graduation! I was seriously about to get a heart attack on that day. It was just soo…nerve wracking! I mean, what if I tripped during the march or something?

* * *

**SASAHARA TSUYOSHI'S POV**

_B-bump, b-bump. _Stupid, I can't believe I'm doing this. Gah! This is all Jun-senpai's fault! Stupid Jun-senpai! Blackmailing me to go out with her. Well, whatever. It's not like we've never hung out before. And besides, we're just going out as friends. Like before! Yeah, it's exactly like that. AH! I don't get it. What's up with me? I'm more nervous now than I was before! I mean, I've liked her since…when was that? Sixth grade? Yeah. But, I wasn't this nervous back then. Jeez. I looked at Takishima. She seems… out of it. Kinda depressed actually. You know. She's not talking at all and she keeps on sighing and staring at this egg thing that has a face. What's that thing anyway?

She shook her head. "Neh Tsuyoshi-kun? What's up? You don't look okay." She giggled. I turned. Whoa. Is it just me or did her mood just take a one hundred degree turn? What was that all about? A head shake change over? One minute she seemed all depressed and now she's back to her usual self. You know, she's all bubbly again.

"Ah. Gomen." I let out a chuckle and smile.

"Neh, did you get taller or something? " She looked up.

"Huh?" I blinked. I was a little caught off guard. She's pretty random isn't she? "I did? I dunno. I don't really measure my height." I really don't. I didn't even notice that I was getting taller. Heck, no one's noticed it except her. I chuckled inwardly. Count on Takishima to notice the little things.

"Hai!" She said in a matter-of-factly tone. "Last time I saw you I was until here." She said as she placed a hand on the top of her head and 'sliced' across the air. Her hand met my neck. "And now, I'm only until here." She did the same thing as she did earlier, except that, now, her hand reached my chest. She puffed her cheeks. "Why can't I have that much of a growth spurt?"

I chuckled and ruffled her hair. I noticed her glaring at me as she combed her hair with her fingers. She hates it when I do that, but I just love her reaction whenever she gets pissed at me. It's kinda cute. "Don't worry Takishima, you'll grow soon. You're related to your cousin and your cousin's pretty tall."

"You mean Kuni-chan?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"Yeah… him."

I notice her smile mischievously. Oh no, I think I know where this is going. "Neh… Are you still scared of him?" Yup, I was right. She just HAD to bring that up again didn't she? Since when did she become so sadistic?

I shrugged and mumbled. "…. Kinda" What? I've always been intimidated by Tezuka-san. When I first met him, I actually thought that he was Takishima's dad. And then I found out he was his cousin and that he was only two years older than us. I was freaked out. So at first, I was ONLY freaked out. But then, I dunno, he just has an unapproachable and intimidating aura and whenever I'd look at him I'd always imagine an icy background behind him. It gave me goosebumps back then and it still does. Actually, I still see that icy background behind him whenever I see him. Scary.

I heard Takishima laughing. I sighed and walked ahead of her. If I'd stayed there, she'd laugh even harder. I don't get why she finds the fact that I find her cousin scary amusing.

"Neh Tsuyoshi-kun! Chotto!" I heard footsteps from behind me. "Mou, don't walk so fast. I can't run. Riku might fall." She showed me the egg with the face that she was carrying. Riku? That thing has a name?

I blinked. "I've been meaning to ask. What exactly is that thing?" I pointed to the egg . Seriously, what IS that thing?

She looked at it and then giggled. "Tsuyoshi-kun, meet Riku. He's my baby." She smiled as she placed the egg in front of me. Uh huh… What am I supposed to do? There's an egg right in front of me. And it's her baby? What? I don't get it. Is this a joke or something? I raised my eyebrow in confusion. She giggled. "It's for a project in home economics."

My mouth made an 'O' shape. "Oh." Okay. Now that made more sense.

"Yeah. It's a pairs project. Our Home-ec teacher's trying to teach us how to be good parents." I giggled. "Though, I still think that we're WAY too young to be learning about things like this. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess." I shrugged. "So….is it kinda like, you get married to your partner and take care of the egg?"

"Baby." She corrected me. "He's a baby. And yeah, it's pretty much like that."

"Oh. So….who was your partner? Anyone I might know?" I blinked. Okay. Stupid question. Why would I ask who her partner is? Let alone ask if I knew the guy? I don't know anyone from Seigaku. Well, I know the Seigaku regulars but I only know them by name. And besides, what's the use of asking her partner's name anyway?

She blinked. "Actually, yeah. You know him. It's Ryo-chan." I noticed the change in her tone of voice. It was kind of a depressed yet happy tone. Sounds weird, I know, but that's what it really sounded like. Ryo-chan…Hmmm. I'm guessing that's what Takishima calls Echizen Ryoma? Probably. She's fond of giving people nicknames. Back then, she actually wanted to call me 'Yo-chan'. It sounded so weird so I told her not to call me that.

"Echizen Ryoma?"

"Mhmm." She smiled, though she had a different kind of smile on her face. I haven't seen that expression on her face ever. I dunno why, but I feel slightly threatened for some strange reason.

* * *

**MOMO'S POV**

"Neh, Momo, can you hear them?" I heard Eiji-senpai speak. He was behind me. Right now, we were following, or, more of, spying on Miyuki-chan and that Kojimachi kid. We were slightly curious. You know, we want to see the relationship between the two of them. It's to help Echizen. You know, sorta like what Inui-senpai does. He collects data on our competitors. We're doing the same thing. We're 'gathering data' on Echizen's competition. I smirked. No matter how much Echizen denies it, it's pretty obvious that he likes Miyuki-chan as more than his best friend. My hunches are always right…well, usually.

I shook my head. "Not so much. I can hear bits of their conversation though. Something about an Growth spurts and Buchou." I glanced over Echizen as we were spying on Miyuki-chan and that Kojimachi kid. I just can't help but smirk. This guy is so in denial. Like I've said earlier, he OBVIOUSLY likes her but he's either too dense or too proud to admit it. Look at him now, his eyes are glued on the two. I sighed. Kids these days. Wait. I sound like an old man. I blinked and shrugged.

"Momo-senpai, stop staring. It's annoying." Echizen sighed.

I blinked and placed Echizen in a head lock. I love doing this to him. Actually, I just love the fact that he gets annoyed whenever I do this to him. "Well, aren't you a little bit curious as to why they're talking about you?" I smirked. I'm pretty sure it was. If someone was talking about me, I would want to know, especially if it's the person I like.

"No. Not really." He pried away from my head lock. "Why would I?" he asked with his usual bored voice. I sighed. Echizen will always be Echizen huh?

"Nya, cause you like Mimi-chi! Neh Ochibi?" Right now, Eiji-senpai was grinning like a Cheshire cat. I joined him. So right now, we were grinning like crazy. What? You know how we are, we like to match Miyuki-chan and Echizen up. They just look too cute together. And with Echizen's attitude, you know how he's dense and too proud, they definitely need our help.

"She's my best friend. That's all." Eiji-senpai and I both sighed. He ALWAYS gives us that answer. I'm getting really sick and tired of it. Man, this kid is just way too clueless about things like this huh?

"That's what you always say!" Eiji-senpai and I said in unison. Well, I guess we both felt the same way. It's true. Like what I've said earlier. He ALWAYS gives us that answer.

"Cause that's the truth!" Echizen somewhat screamed. Somewhat. It was louder than his usual tone yet softer than a scream. He doesn't seem mad though. Hmmm.

"Then why did you come nya?" Eiji-senpai had Echizen in a head lock. Okay, Echizen looks really annoyed right now.

"Because you and Momo-senpai dragged me into this." Oh yeah. We kinda did, didn't we?

_**Flashback**_

"_So Echizen, what's the deal with you?" I asked Echizen was we left the changing rooms. Tennis practice was over and it was time to go home. Or not. I'm kinda hungry so right now, Echizen and I were going to grab a burger or something. He was hungry too. Hmm. I wonder if Eiji-senpai and Miyuki-chan want to tag along? Then again, it seems like Echizen and Miyuki-chan were avoiding each other. Somewhat. I wasn't the only one who noticed this. EVERYONE did. Even though Echizen and Miyuki-chan have a strange…er…distant kind of friendship, it doesn't take an idiot to notice that they were much more distant than usual._

"_Hm?" He looked up. "Nothing." He continued to stare. Typical Echizen. He'd definitely deny it or avoid the topic. Well whatever. I'll figure something out somehow. _

_We continued on walking when I spotted Miyuki-chan in front of the gates. Huh? What's this? She's talking to some kid. Hey! It's that kid from Kojimachi. The one we met after the tournament. You know, Miyuki-chan's friend. I looked at Echizen. Seems like he noticed that too. I smirked. "Hey, Echizen, look Miyuki-chan's with that guy again." Echizen shrugged as he stared at the two, though, I had a feeling he was jealous. Dunno. I could just feel it. Suddenly, I saw Eiji-senpai hiding behind a bush._

"_E-Eiji-senpai?"_

_Eiji-senpai looked at me and placed a forefinger over his lips. He was giving me the 'shh' hand gesture. He then gestured that we come near him and do what he was doing. Which was probably spying or something. Hmm, sounds fun. I approached Eiji-senpai and hid behind the bush, dragging Echizen with me. We were all staring at Miyuki-chan and that Kojimachi guy. This stinks. I can't hear what they're saying. Maybe we should've stayed closer. Hmm. I wonder what that kid's doing anyway._

_I looked at Eiji-senpai. Maybe he would know. "Neh, Eiji-senpai, do you know why that kid's here?"_

"_Nya?" Eiji-senpai looked up at the sky as if he were thinking about something. "Hmm. Not really. Mimi-chi and I just saw him in front of the gates. And then he asked her if she was busy. Actually, Mimi-chi and I were supposed to get something to eat demo, I told her she could go with him. So, now, I'm spying on them nya!" Eiji-senpai grinned._

_I blinked. "Oh…"_

"_Neh, senpai-tachi, I'm going. Homework." Echizen stood up. Fortunately, or unfortunately for him, we grabbed him, causing him to fall._

"_Nya Ochibi. Stay! Let's go spy on them nya!"_

"_Yeah Echizen, I know you're curious too!" _

"_Yadda! Let go." Echizen was being Echizen. Right now he was whining again as he tried to stand up. Actually, he was struggling. I mean, he was up against two senpai's after all. Suddenly he became silent and stopped moving, he stopped trying to pry from our grips. "Neh, senpai-tachi, they're leaving…" _

_Eiji-senpai and I looked up, and true enough, the two were leaving. At that, we both discreetly followed them, and much to Echizen's complaints, we dragged him with us. I know he said that he doesn't want to come but I'm sure he does. Besides, he needs to find out more about his competition. Senpais knows what's best for their kohais. I looked at Echizen and snickered. He looks a little pissed off but I think he actually wants to follow. Some intuition of some sort._

_**End Flashback**_

I blinked as I recalled what happened earlier. Okay, fine, maybe we DID drag Echizen here but still. Look at him now! He isn't complaining, he isn't leaving AND He's actually spying on them! Look at him! His eyes are glued to the too. "Well, yeah but still! The fact that you haven't left yet and the fact that you're actually watching them means that you're interested!"

Echizen blinked. "I'm leaving then."

"Nya Ochibi! Stay!"

"Yada!"

"Echizen!"

"Yada! Yada!"

"Oi, if you guys keep that up, those two will definitely see us."

I blinked. Okay, who was that? I looked up and saw this guy with black hair. Hmm he seems familiar. Where have I seen him before? I then noticed that he was wearing a Kojimachi uniform. "Ah! It's you! Terashima Jun!" I practically screamed upon my realization. It's the guy that I beat during preliminaries! How could I have forgotten that person? He was one of the few people who could return my jack knife.

"Yo Momoshiro." He grinned and then he looked at Echizen and Eiji-senpai. "Seigaku" he smiled. What in the world is he doing here?

* * *

**Sooo, whacha guys think? Was it okay? Sorry. I know it's kind of short and that i didn't really incorporate much of Miyuki's thoughts on this one. But i really wanted to focus more or Tsuyoshi and Echizen on this one. So yeah. Anywayzzz. PLEASE REVIEW! I WOULD SERIOUSLY SERIOUSLY APPRECIATE IT. Reviews make me update faster hihi :D (Somewhat) So Please review! Thanks so much**

**kur-chan**


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